Priority: Haestrom
by Admiral Zaal'Koris
Summary: Priority: Haestrom follows Kal'Reegar's untold journey, Kal's squadmates, and Tali'Zorah beginning at Project Haestrom. Gives a unique perspective over the Quarian race. AU. Tali/Shepard romance. Includes other romances as well. Rated T for Violence and Mild-Moderate Suggestive Content. What would happen if things turned out differently on Haestrom? Find out here!
1. Introduction

**Author Notes: Hello everyone, this is the first chapter of my first upload. enjoy! :)**

**Edit: 4/5 A big thank you to fallenangel8794 for beta reading this and fixing most of the tense issues! **

Introduction:

Some say that if one stared at the sterile, white, interior walls of a Quarian ship long enough, you'd eventually go blind. '_That's precisely what some random alien would believe.' _Kal'Reegar reflected to himself. Here he was, yet again, in the same situation he had always hated since he became a Marine, patiently waiting for his mission briefing while simultaneously being anxious about it. Kal sensed the apprehension in the other five Quarian squad members as well.

The Quarian who had previously been loitering off to Kal's right was Venn'Ryaan. Venn was quite a slippery fellow with a knack for sarcasm. He lost his ship name after he was exiled for 'accidentally' destroying a new stealth shuttle of Daro'Xen's design while it was still in testing. He was exiled for his mistake in judgment. In the end, the Admiralty Board pardoned him to return to the fleet; probably for his legendary skills with a shuttle or any other small aerospace vehicle. But, none of the Admirals assigned him to a new ship, so he got stuck in Kal's squad, shuttling Marines back and forth on missions. As a side note, it appeared that during the time of his brief exile, he met Captain Kirrahe. Surprisingly the two became great friends, even with their drastic contrast in personalities. Venn was tapping his foot impatiently at the prospect of waiting another second for this damn mission, which the Admirals still had not briefed them on.

"Don't you love it, how The Admirals make themselves seem important by wasting our time?" Venn intoned sarcastically, as his purple visor produced a sparkling effect whenit caught the light.

"Better than having to listen to your lousy whining," said the female Quarian who had been previously staring out of one of the few windows aboard the ship. Her name is Daala'Rozu. She was a soldier by heart and trade. Clan Rozu was a family of Soldiers and Peacekeepers, and it had been that way for generations, thousands of years before the Morning War. She had quite an interesting story. She lost her father to the Geth while he was on a survey mission that got a little too close to the border of Geth space. Logically, she had a personal vendetta against the Geth. She had alleged that she would kill ten Geth for every crew member that was killed on the Fyvar, her father's ship.

'_I __wonder how she keeps track, I never saw her write down anything, or record numbers on her Omni-tool._' Kal briefly contemplated. But even so, Daala had informed Kal that the number of kills was approaching 100. After their last assignment on a scouting mission in the Perseus Veil, which went to shit, she reported that it was exactly 113 to go.

"Too bad I can't use my biotics to shut him up." Said another female Quarian, the squad's newest addition, Ralin'Shanar. She eagerly shifted in her seat. Her fiery orange Realk and black as night enviro-suit produced an interesting contrast with her bluish visor. She had been sitting quietly to the left of Kal, andfrom what Kal had observed Ralin kept to herself, but her dossier informed that she was one of the rare Quarian Adepts. Quarian Adepts are few and far between due to living on ships with little exposure to Element Zero. Although it's still unclear how a Quarian gets trained to be a Biotic, or at least a mystery to Kal, he can tell she'll be a welcome addition to the team. She was trying to fit in by following Venn's example of releasing steam against the inept politicians, who apparently found some sadistic pleasure in making everything that much more difficult for everyone else.

"But Venn's right on one thing, I swear that if we don't hear news in the next 5 minutes..." Ralin said critically, although her voice lacked the strength to express it in such a way that the squad would take it seriously.

"Did I hear correctly? Someone agreed with Venn?" Kal'Reegar cocked his head to the procurer of this new voice, a Quarian Engineer, Quinn'Zeeda, who was tapping furiously on his Omni-tool, completely absorbed by it. In actuality, he had been silently listening to the squad's bickering the whole time. '_A good step for him given that he is unstable; from Quinn's dossier it is reported that he has the same type, or a similar type, of slight neurological defect that Veetor'Nara vas Moreh developed._' A very rare defect, but even with this disadvantage Quinn was a brilliant engineer and was renowned for the fact that he could repair nearly anything with just a few pieces of scrap.

A crash occurred from somewhere behind Kal and the entirety of the squad snapped their heads towards the crash instinctively. The crash was followed by a curse, "Bosh'tet!" In the unmistakable voice of Gerren'Lakko, a soldier like Kal and Daala. He's a little clumsy, but otherwise he was one helluva' trooper. They had found him on their last mission to the Perseus Veil; it had turned from a scouting mission to a rescue operation when they located the Hxzaa drifting in space, broadcasting a distress signal. There were multiple hull breaches, but they checked the source of the signal anyway to check for survivors. They found only one, Gerren, the last of his squad. '_Poor bosh'tet._' Gerren requested to be moved to Kal'Reegar's squad after the debriefing, which was readily accepted.

'_Well, maybe more than a little clumsy..._' Kal thought inwardly as he too looked casually over his shoulder to see what all the commotion was about. Apparently, Gerren had dropped 3 assault rifles, which had caused the noise, and was on his knees, fuming at his mistake. He efficiently picked them up and restocked them; his pure white armor glinted and his blood red Realk clung loosely to his body. Gerren spared a glance upwards, noted that all five Quarians were staring at him, and he waved his hand in their general direction. Kal nodded back in acknowledgement, Daala instead replied with an 'Of-course' sigh.

After that incident, Kal'Reegar noticed a male Quarian with a red enviro-suit approaching with a certain purpose in his stride as he headed towards the cluster of Quarians. He carried only one thing, a datalog, which, by Kal's guess, probably contained the information on the squad's new mission.

"Finally!" Venn exclaimed, annoyed that they had waited five extra minutes than the time allotted. The Quarian ignored Venn's remark and handed the data log to Kal, which he promptly took and read the mission's title, _Priority: Haestrom_.

"Good luck on your assignment. Keelah se'lai." The Quarian performed an about face turn in the direction he had come from and swiftly left without another word. The squad began to shift closer to Kal. Kal sensed the tension in the squad's movements and their unrest. While he glanced over the briefing he found himself drawn to the words, _Admiral __Rael'Zorah's daughter, _for quite a while, '_The head of the Admiralty Board's daughter_?'

That was until Venn interrupted his train of thought, "Looks like a protection mission, boys and girls." Venn exaggerated a yawn.

'_That bosh'tet was reading over my shoulders._' Kal thought crankily.

"We're protecting Rael'Zorah's daughter, Tali'Zorah." Kal'Reegar countered coldly. "You don't think that this is important?"

"No, what other possible use could a Marine squadron have?" Venn asked rhetorically, "Just because she's the daughter of an Admiral doesn't mean that she is all that important." Venn responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you deaf, Venn? Have you never heard of Tali'Zorah? She's a bloody war hero, and you'd best give her the damn respect she deserves." All Venn did was snort at the prospect that he would give respect to one of the Admirals, let alone the Admiral's daughter.

Daala overheard Venn's exclamation and crossed her arms, "I agree with Venn on the point that we could be doing something more important. We should be fighting the Geth! A whole Marine squadron seems like overkill to me, sir."

Kal continued to study the message. What he read suggested that the mission could turn out poorly if the Geth found them, but it would make it so that they wouldn't think that this mission was going to be babysitting Admiral Zorah's daughter. "It looks as if this mission might be a little more exciting than what you assumed, Venn. How much do you know about Haestrom?" Kal folded his hands in his lap and looked up expectantly at Venn. Kal may have accidentally let loose some aggression into his tone as well as he had not completely forgiven Venn's comment on Tali.

Ralin came to Venn's aid. "It's in the middle of Geth Space, sir." Ralin said barely over an audible whisper. Kal felt tension fill the air in response to the action that may be forthcoming.

Kal stood up and with a clear, precise voice he said something everyone wanted to hear, "Everyone should get some rest, we're starting the mission tomorrow at the shuttle bays, Tali'Zorah will be waiting for us there." Kal turned his head slowly from left to right, gauging his squad, "Dismissed!"

Daala, while she may not agree, nodded and saluted, "Sir." She then withdrew in the direction of her quarters.

Venn performed the same gesture, but with a hint of veiled cynicism. "_Sir,_" Venn said with heavy emphasis.

'_Sometimes he really can be an unbearable bosh'tet,_' Kal knew that most of what Venn said was pure banter, with the occasional personal view on politicians and the Admiralty Board. '_He does have a reason to hate the admirals after all._' Kal mused, he allowed Venn to carry on with his frivolous nature due to the fact that it was one of the few things that kept Venn sane. Venn began to wander off in the direction of his quarters.

The rest of the squad sauntered away; each one carried a sense of renewed purpose, as did Kal'Reegar.


	2. Chapter One: Pleasing A Father

Chapter One: Pleasing a Father

There was no night aboard the Migrant Fleet; Quarians just assumed what was night and day based on what it would have been on Rannoch, Generally from time on the South-Eastern continent, Yiistoc. But even so, Quarians have to force themselves to sleep most of the time because it feels unnatural, even if it was supposedly night on Rannoch. This is what Kal was pondering when the suit's VI activated an alarm, which signified it was an hour until the squad is supposed to meet Tali'Zorah in the Alarei's shuttle bay, abruptly woke him from his slumber. The enviro-suit swiftly changed from its night to day cycle and the temperature inside his suit began to noticeably increase.

Kal sat up and rubbed his hands on the visor of his helmet, wishing severely that he could rub his eyes, '_just one of the few annoyances of being a Quarian._' Not that he'd rather be any other species mind you; being a Quarian gave a definite sense of purpose, helping his species survive through mutual cooperation towards a common goal was what being a Quarian was all about. Suited life wasn't as bad as some make it out to be, basic stuff such as oral hygiene was performed by the suit itself during the sleep cycle. Even then, suited life comes with a definite expense. A Quarian can't feel anything with his/her skin; can't smell anything unless it is filtered by the environmental suit; unless of course this Quarian would risk open air exposure, which most Quarians don't risk. The only time one could take off their suit, was inside a specially designated Clean Room, its main usage were either medical procedures or procreation. Kal'Reegar cut through his tedious and time consuming thoughts and found the power to force himself awake and out of his bed. Kal was soon on the next shuttle to the Alarei.

* * *

_Tali'Zorah - The Alarei_

_'Damn it, what could father want? He's going to make me late for my meeting with Squad Leader Kal'Reegar!' _Tali'Zorah's pace hastened as she approached Admiral Rael'Zorah's quarters. Tali quickly inserted the pass-code to her father's quarters on the nearby console, and the doors reluctantly opened. What was behind those closed doors was a male Quarian with the Admiral Insignia displayed prominently on his suit's chest, Rael'Zorah, who was carrying a datalog. At the sound of the doors opening Rael snapped his head towards Tali, who was still standing at the doorway.

"Tali!" Rael'Zorah said as he walked over to her and greeted his daughter with a fatherly embrace.

"Father!" Tali called back, she let the embrace continue for a few seconds until eventually pulling away from her father. "You needed me for something, father?"

"Indeed I do, Tali, I'm sorry I called you up here on such short notice…" Rael made his way over to a seat behind his desk and indicated with his hand for Tali to follow him. "But there is urgent business we must discuss, Na'Vera*." Rael said in suspense, letting his words sink in.

"Okay, Father, but I need to go soon. I'm meeting Squad Leader Kal'Reegar in the shuttle bay in 20 minutes and…" Tali rambled, as if hoping the quicker she said it, that the reaction from her father would lessen.

"Kal'Reegar can wait." Rael said definitively, then his tone turned tender, "Do you remember, how I promised I'd build you a house on the home world, so many years ago?"

"How could I ever forget a promise like that?" Tali responded cordially.

"I'm starting a new project which, in time, will accelerate the process of reclaiming the home world."

"What is the project, Father?" Tali absorbed this information quietly, realizing the importance this project might have on the Quarian people.

"I'm sorry, Tali. I can't reveal the specifics of this project, but you can help."

"You can't even tell your own daughter?!" Tali said in surprise, hurt was apparent in her voice at this revelation.

Rael sighed and put a hand on his visor, "Don't act like that, Tali, it's classified information that could endanger the fleet." Rael continued in a tired tone, "But I need your aid in order to ensure this project is completed, it's for the good of the entire Quarian race."

Tali relented, "Tell me what you need, if it can get us back on the home world more quickly… How bad could it possibly be?"

Rael smiled under his helmet, "That's my girl." He said proudly to himself, Rael leaned forward on his desk. Tali put her hands on his desk and leaned in closer to Rael to more acutely listen. "What I need is for you to send some Geth back to the Alarei…"

Tali stepped away from Rael's desk in shock. "Sending active Geth back to the fleet? I…"

Rael raised his right hand, as if in a command for Tali to cease speculating, "Not active Geth, just parts." Rael corrected, and then reassured her, "You know me, Tali. I'd never do anything that would possibly put you in striking distance of the Admiralty Board."

"I'm not sure about this, Father." Tali said nervously, not wishing to upset her father.

"Please, Tali. I need you to do this… for me."

"Well… ." Tali responded meekly.

"Excellent!" Rael clapped his hands together and then stood up, "I'm glad we got this sorted out, I can't thank you enough Tali." Rael put his hand on Tali's shoulder and began to lead her out of the room, "But you should probably get back to Kal'Reegar now. It's almost time for your meeting in the shuttle bay, you'll be late if you don't hurry."

"No thanks to you." Tali said jocularly.

They reached the door and Rael faced Tali, "Good luck on your mission Tali. I sincerely hope that it goes better than Freedom's…"

"Please, I don't need to be reminded of…"

"Fine, I'll abide to your wishes. Good luck Tali. Keelah se'lai." Tali nodded at her father and stepped out of Rael's quarters, but not before saying, "Keelah se'lai to you too, Father. Good luck on your project." The door promptly closed behind Tali once she left. '

She made her way to the Alarei's elevator. '_I only have two minutes until my meeting!'_ Tali took off in a run and quickly smashed her fingers against the elevator control button. She impatiently tapped her foot until the elevator arrived. '_Keelah, I want to make him proud of me, I don't remember a single time when he said "I love you" to me, at least, not sincerely anyway._' Tali boarded the elevator and as the elevator descended down to the shuttle bay, Tali's mind was swirling with emotions and thoughts, both on her current mission and pondering on what her father's project could possibly be. '_What could father possibly want with Geth parts_?'

* * *

Kal barely arrived on time; everyone was there with the exception of Venn. He began to pace towards the small group that was gathered near the landing ramp of a ship, "Where in the name of Rannoch is Venn?" Kal said while trying to contain his anger, he was unsuccessful. '_Some good a night of pure sleep did to me._' "If he is not here within the next 5 minutes I'll see to it personally that he gets a boot up…"

"Miss me already, Kal?" Venn teased as he strolled inside the shuttle bay.

"You were almost late." Kal glared at Venn, the only way to show disapproval using facial expressions while your helmet was still on.

"As were you, Kal." Venn stopped directly to the left of Kal and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I don't have time for to argue specifics with you, Venn," Kal growled. Then he surveyed the area and discovered that Tali'Zorah was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Tali'Zorah?"

"How should I know?" Gerren responded, sounding extremely annoyed at how things were turning out.

"Maybe she got lost?" Quinn offered meekly. Kal was surprised that he of all people would be the one to speak up for Tali, given his condition and whatnot. Then again, it could be due to the fact that Tali rescued Veetor…

Daala cut through Quinn's argument like a razor, "I doubt that Tali would get lost aboard her father's ship."

Thankfully, the Elevator's doors opened at that precise moment. Inside was a female Quarian of about average height and build, suited in a black enviro-suit with purple realk* which had a swirling design on it; one probably would not think that she would be the daughter of an Admiral, let alone the daughter of the head of the Admiralty Board. She began to amble in the squad's direction.

"Sorry I'm late." Tali sounded breathless, Kal'Reegar waited patiently for her to continue her excuse, "There was some business that needed to be attended too." Tali said this in a tone that suggested that whatever 'business' this was, it was personal.

"We're just glad we can get this started, Ma'am." Kal called back neutrally, not truly satisfied by her excuse but not bothering to push for answers. His squad got into a semi-circle position behind him.

"I assume you've all been briefed?" Tali inquired.

"If you count being told to protect you…" Venn groaned.

Kal cut Venn off, "It was a little vague."

Venn muttered, "Only a little? It was…" Daala nudged Venn on the shoulder and he finally got the message to shut up.

Tali briefed the squad, "O.K. We're going aboard the Serei to the planet of Haestrom to do research on the star that is located there." Kal'Reegar already knew from the dossier that it wouldn't be as easy as she was making it out to be.

"Is this your first mission, Ma'am?" Gerren asked inquisitively.

"No, this is my second mission." She began to move as if she was uncomfortable with the subject or just nervous around new people in general.

Kal changed the subject to save Tali from whatever embarrassment she was hiding from, "Well, I guess we'd better hop to it." '_We don't need Venn questioning if Tali'Zorah was fit for leadership_, _I've got enough trouble on my hands as it is_.' Kal sighed and the group moved towards the ramp which would inevitably lead us to Haestrom.

The group boarded the ship; it was a light freighter by the looks of it, with enough room to fit 14 people comfortably.

The amount of space surprised Kal, when he asked Tali about it she explained, "I'm expecting 3 more scientists."

In the meantime the squad all settled into their respective spots, Gerren was at the Forward Batteries, Venn was at the pilot's console, Kal'Reegar was situated in the co-pilot's console, Quinn was in Engineering, it was by Kal's guess that Ralin was in the training room, and he had no idea where Daala was. She was probably in the crew's quarters; Kal made a mental note to himself to check.

It was sometime after the Quarian scientists boarded that Kal realized that he nodded off, the Serei had took off and Kal had hardly noticed, the last thing he could remember was admiring the elegance and beauty of the thousands of ships in the Migrant Fleet. Then, the crackle of electricity was all around him. Kal took one last look, which seemed to last an eternity, at the flotilla and in no time at all, it was gone; replaced the black of space. '_Next stop Haestrom…'_

_*Na'Vera - My Daughter._

_*Realk - The cloth portion of the suit._

* * *

**Beta-read by fallenangel8794**


	3. Chapter Two: Tali'Zorah

***2/6 Minor editing.**

Chapter Two: Tali'Zorah

Through the darkness of the vacuum, the blaze of the ancient star shone illuminating the vast emptiness of space. This in turn was surrounded by millions of tiny lights that flickered all across the viewscreen. With only one distinguishable object; the planet Haestrom and it's slow graceful dance around the rapidly dying star. '_This is why we're here._' Kal reminded himself as he twisted his helmet away from the deadly beauty of space and looked down at the console. He keep telling himself this mission is important, that it could happen to Rannoch's star, Kaeli'steiz, but even he doubted it. '_At least there is the possibility of frying some Geth_…' this was going through Kal'Reegar's mind at the time. This planet Haestrom, a former Quarian colony, was to be his home for the next few days… weeks… months, who knows? '_I'll probably be here until the scientists' finish their research_,' Kal mused with dismay. '_It definitely won't have the cleanliness of the Migrant Fleet_.' Cleanliness and a sterile environment is a necessity to Quarians, due to their compromised immune systems.

Kal'Reegar breathed in the filtered air and gazed upon his gloved hands, wishing he could feel anything but the fabric inside his gloves. Kal then looked back up at the Siren's call of space, and balled his two fingers and thumb into a fist; the planet was becoming increasingly larger and larger as they approached. '_Won't be long now_…' After which Kal fantasized about what it would be like to view the glamour of space without his helmet. That comes about once every day for Quarians, mainly along the lines of; I wonder how this flower smells like without my helmet, or what does the wind feel like as it gusts against my face? '_Of course we could take off our helmets but because of those damned viruses and bacteria…'_ Kal thought glumly. Kal'Reegar now noticed that the planet was mostly a brown ball, not surprising given the historical report and how the star was developing. All of a sudden metallic footsteps began to ensue from behind Kal, he looked over his shoulder to the Quarian standing at the doorway and quickly stood at attention towards Tali, "Ma'am," Kal said with all the respect he could muster into his voice.

"Kal'Reegar," Tali'Zorah purred with an affirmative nod in his direction, Kal took that as a sign for at ease and quickly went back into his original position in the co-pilot's seat. She then shifted her head towards Venn, who was following Kal's example.

"Is there something you need, Ma'am?" Kal'Reegar asked.

Tali'Zorah walked over to the pilot's console, "Just checking our approach vector, Kal'Reegar." She stood behind the Pilot seat, leaned over Venn's shoulder, rested her hand on the armrest, activated her omni-tool, and quickly verified the information on the console with the information on the omni-tool. "I'd rather be safe than sorry, and enter the atmosphere on the night side. I'm not sure how the ship's systems will react to direct exposure to the increased radiation." Tali chuckled before continuing, "And I'd rather not test it by crashing."

"Makes sense - even though it should only affect the shield systems." Venn'Ryaan interjected.

"Yes, that's the short term effect, but the increased radiation could fry any weapon, system or machine in long term exposure." Tali caught her breath before continuing, what she said next was grim, "I'd rather my second mission not end up in another damn rescue mission like my first at Freedom's Progress."

After a few seconds of silence, with the exceptions of faint noises from Tali's Omni-tool, Venn'Ryaan asked what the squad was thinking, "I don't get it, what's the real interest in a former Quarian colony, with no strategic resources?"

Tali finished correcting the vector of approach, stepped back, and crossed her arms, and replied with a matter of fact tone, "It's due to the fact that this system's star has increased its radiation outputs by 10 fold in the past 300 years and the Admirals have requested that we investigate this anomaly."

Venn'Ryaan snorted, "That's the official reason…"

"The Admirals must have their reasons, Venn," Kal'Reegar pointed out.

"Yea… Sure… Whatever you say, Kal." Venn said dubiously, he didn't comment again.

"Kal'Reegar, could you walk with me? I have some questions to ask you." Tali turned her attention to Venn, "Venn'Ryaan, remind me when we are less 5 minutes to the planet."

Venn'Ryaan nodded, "Aye, aye." Venn went back to lounging in the Pilot's chair.

Kal'Reegar lifted himself out of the chair just in time to see Tali'Zorah exiting; he quickly checked over the weaponry and shield systems before turning to follow her. Kal left the room and found Tali'Zorah gazing out of one of the port-side windows, watching the blazing star's vibrancy with her eyes covered underneath her helmet; even though her eyes were concealed but he could still see them darting from the planet to the star, and back again.

Kal'Reegar walked up next to Tali'Zorah and put a gloved hand on her equally covered shoulder, "You needed me, Ma'am?"

Tali'Zorah directed her attention towards him, "Yes…" Tali'Zorah said while she motioned with her hand to a seemingly unoccupied corridor and began to walk in the direction she had pointed out to Kal'Reegar. Kal trailed closely behind her. They paced a few meters before Tali shattered the silence, "I'm not questioning your loyalty Kal'Reegar, but I need to know whether you and your squad mates will listen to me if I give an order."

Kal already knew that most of her squad on Freedom's progress had been killed. '_That's probably where this is coming from,' Kal_ inferred. It's impossible for anyone to forget or get over a fiasco like that, "Ma'am as long as the mission continues and the orders are reasonable we'll fight with you and for you to the end."

Tali'Zorah remained quiet for a second, "Did you ever read the report over Freedom's Progress?"

"I know you got the job done, but the official report was a little hazy on how you managed to extract Veetor'Nara with half of your squad dead and the other half…"

"That squad was not under orders from me, Prazza assumed control and paid for his mistake!" Tali growled at Kal. Complete silence arose between them.

"Sorry, Kal'Reegar." Tali sounded slightly embarrassed by her outburst. Kal couldn't tell what was going on underneath that helmet but he was almost sure that Tali was blushing, "The reason why the report was vague is due to the fact that Prazza's squad was decimated by a YMIR mech that Veetor had programmed. We were saved by a Team from Cerberus who killed the mech, and came with…" Tali hesitated momentarily before continuing, "A comrade I had not seen for over two years. I assumed that he was dead." She brought her two fingers to her visor, at about the location of her forehead would be, and shook her head downheartedly. "The whole thing was an utter disaster."

"Ah, the official report said that it was another Quarian squad, now I understand why the Admiralty Board covered it up." Kal silently thought, _'This is why you shouldn't believe official reports.' _While quietly speculating why Tali didn't reveal this 'comrades' name.

Both of them stopped abruptly as they realized that they had hit the end of the corridor, Tali faced him and whispered desperately, "I don't want another squad's blood to be on my hands." Tali sighed with her face towards the ground; fear, or something close to it, could be seen in her eyes.

"We'll Ma'am if this squad falls I can assure you that it won't be due to insubordination." Kal reassured, Tali lifted her head, "And part of leadership is sending men knowing that they might die, making the hard choices, that's what makes it the toughest job."

Tali muttered almost inaudibly under her breath, Kal didn't catch all of it, but it beared resemblance to, "How does Shepard manage?"

"Cheer up Ma'am. In my personal opinion it looks as if you can be an effective leader."

Kal could only imagine that her facial expression would be that of hope, "I learned from the best." Tali said this with great pride. Kal folded his hands behind his back, "He must be a great man."

We both then diverted our attention to the window which displayed the ever-growing planet and the black abyss of space.

Tali averted her eyes from the window and turned her attention to the ground before quietly inquiring, "What if it isn't enough?" Kal began to see the emotional conflict that Tali was in, she blamed herself for not being able to keep Prazza in line. Not only this, but she was ashamed, it had only been 2 years after her Pilgrimage and on her first mission most of her squad was killed. Not only that, but this comrade Shepard, whoever he was, had been there to see her fail as a leader. '_She has feelings for him..._'

Kal boldly responded, "Then we give 'em hell before going down." Kal had committed himself now. He just hoped that he didn't say something that he would eventually regret. "Besides, what could possibly happen on an abandoned world?"

Tali avoided Kal's question, "Thank you for your faith in my abilities, Kal'Reegar. I needed that."

At this point the planet filled more than half of the window, which was when the intercom suddenly crackled to life; a male Quarian's voice emanated from it, "We'll reach the planet's exosphere in five minutes, Tali'Zorah and Kal'Reegar, please return to the cockpit. Venn out."

Tali raised her arm, activated her omni-tool, and spoke into it, "Affirmative Venn, We'll be there shortly." Tali turned off her omni-tool and turned her head back towards Kal. Kal politely indicated with his arm, "After you, ma'am."

It was quiet, save for the scrapping of boots and the endless humming of the ship. No color existed on the interior except the dull grey bulkheads and light orange consoles. Tali and Kal strolled into the cockpit; Venn was at his usual spot in the pilot's seat. The viewscreen at this point was completely filled by the near lifeless planet. "Bring us in slowly, Venn."Tali said as moved to a position slightly behind and to the right of Venn.

"I know how to do my job, Tali. You do yours." Venn shot back at Tali, it took of all of Kal's training to not walk over to Venn and smack him on the back of the helmet. Tali visibly seemed to shrink back, obviously not expecting this kind of verbal abuse from a member of Kal's squad. Her only thought was, '_It's happening again, if Kal can't keep him in line, then Venn will become another Prazza.'_

The ship skimmed across the cloudless sky, Kal was enjoying the aerial view of the landscape until the most unexpected thing happened, Kal along with the rest of the crew suddenly jerked forward, "Whaaaa….?" The noise died in Kal's throat as his visor smashed against the solid portion of the console infront of him. Tali grabbed hold of Venn's chair and steadied herself against it. Kal'Reegar, to his credit, wasn't knocked unconscious, instead he was more dazed by the sudden shock of hitting the hard console.

"Whoops, turning inertial dampeners back up to 100%..." Venn quickly tapped at the pilot's console and the shaking that had started tersely cut off. The intercom crackled to life with complaining squad mates, mainly along the lines of, "now my calibrations are ruined!" Gerren added some more colorful words in the Quarian vocabulary, but that was the gist of it.

"Some pilot, eh?" Kal'Reegar snorted, he thought he could feel a trickle of blood coming out of his nose. "You're just lucky there isn't a crack in my visor from that you bosh'tet!"

Venn decided to ignore Kal's retort and instead responded, "30 seconds to LZ." Kal silently counted down the 30 seconds while simultaneously in disgust of Venn's careless mistake. The only people who turn down their inertial dampeners are either insane or reckless, Kal believed that Venn might just be a little of both.

The ship hovered over a slightly open area surrounded by some tall structures, the noise from the ship hovering gradually decreased as the engine shut down. The ship began is descent down to the planet's surface. With a slight bump, the crew could tell that they had landed on Haestrom. The group assembled at the capital of the ramp Kal'Reegar and Tali'Zorah had the time honored tradition of being the first ones to step out of the Serei, And be the first to observe the alien landscape up close. Quinn followed closely behind, and he was already running simulations on his omni-tool, "Tali, I think I've already found something!" Quinn bounced happily as we listened, "I guess it was expected, but look! Only a small amount of bacteria, probably due to the increased radiation." Shoving his Omni-tool into Tali's face so she could see the readings more clearly.

"Good job, Quinn, always helps to know one's surroundings," Kal replied. Only one thing came to mind while he shielded his eyes with his forearm from the incredibly bright star, _'Welcome to Haestrom…' _

"I know that look, Kal. It won't be THAT bad," Daala whispered. Kal grinned under his helmet, "You know me too well, Daala." Altogether they walked down the ramp onto the dusty ground.

**If you've enjoyed the story so far, please send me a PM, or leave a review. I appreciate everyone's feedback which could make this story better!**

**Also, if you've enjoyed this story then you might enjoy Dark Jewel by SergiusTheGreat, it is quite funny. **


	4. Chapter Three: Welcome to Haestrom

***1/28 Edited for accuracy of information.**

***2/6 Edited**

***3/10 Edited**

Chapter Three: Welcome to Haestrom

Haestrom was everything the squad expected, with the exception of some minor things. The moment they stepped off the ship, Kal immediately took on a bewildered expression from the sight of the Quarian architecture. The buildings were humble, modest, looking abodes that all seemed to be made mainly of a type of shimmering alloy which Kal had no name for. Since Quarians do not actively design buildings, or scheme to colonize new worlds, with the exception of some rare situations – such as Haestrom -, it was a mixture of efficiency and elements that would be present on the remains of the ancient town centers that dotted the landscape. Kal hated it already; it was the closest image of what he imagined Rannoch would look like, but it just wasn't the same. '_Except Rannoch wouldn't be as lifeless as this heap of rocks they call Haestrom._'

Kal sighed and slumped his shoulders… He stood there with the overarching decrepit dunes and hills located off in the distant background. That was until he realized that he was standing exposed with sunlight clashing against his body… he swiftly retreated back into the safety of the shade. "The sunlight not treating you so well, Sir?" called out a man's voice in a mocking tone which, as Kal soon found out, belonged to none other than Gerren. Gerren was standing next to the building the squad had designated as the armory, and without a doubt had seen Kal's desperate dash back into the safety of shade. Even in those diminutive ten seconds when Kal had remained out in the full blaze of the star, he felt a very strange sensation wash over him, even with the suit he sported it was as if his skin was literally burning… it wasn't an occasion he'd like to repeat. Kal couldn't help himself as he instinctively spasmed from the memory of the burning sensation which had befallen upon his body moments ago.

"Not as good as I'd like!" Kal'Reegar called back from his recently acquired shelter from the star, "What are you doing anyway?"

"Just checking the weapons we brought along. I got a ML-77 Launcher and a Carnifex for you!" Gerren gestured with the Carnifex in the air and beckoned with the weapon for Kal to come towards his position.

'_Good ole' Gerren, remembered to procure some heavy ordinance before we left the fleet_.' Kal began his journey over to the Armory, quickly darting from cover to cover, which was when a jest suddenly struck Kal. "Just make sure you don't drop the gun this time!"

The way Gerren answered suggested it was anything but amusing, "Ha, ha, ha, very funny Kal…" Kal finally reached Gerren, who offered Kal the heavy pistol, which Kal took graciously, and turned around to pick up the ML-77. It was a beauty, with automatic lock-on capabilities and shot a powerful rocket to boot. Gerren rotated to face Kal with the ML-77 now present in his hands when… he somehow managed to lose his grip on it. It appeared to last an eternity for gravity to take its effect on the now unsupported launcher, both of them watched in horror as it speed towards the ground…

'_If it's loaded_…' Kal dreaded the ephemeral second the rocket launcher took for it to smash into the ground. The rocket launcher didn't rebound off the hard ground; neither did it detonate to Kal and Gerren's relief.

Gerren scratched the back of his helmet's neck before bending down to reacquire the fallen object, "Um… yea..." Gerren said this in such a way that Kal couldn't help but laugh. Not that this situation was particularly amusing, but Kal was certainly glad that Gerren didn't remember to load it. "Laugh it up, Kal…" This response only caused Kal to react by laughing even harder until he doubled over and he buckled onto the ground. Kal finally got a hold of himself and Gerren tossed him the now-loaded launcher. Kal fumbled as he secured his hold on it. "Now it's up to YOU to not drop it, Kal."

After that slight disruption Gerren and Kal called over the rest of the group. Both of them distributed weapons to the squad which consisted of 2 VARs, (Vindicator Assault Rifles) which are highly prized for their accuracy and conservation of ammunition, 2 M-8 Avengers, and a Tempest sub-machine gun by Ralin's request, as well as some heavy pistols to the scientists.

The Squad did what they could to pass time during the first week, mostly by voyaging out on patrols which generally turned into long drawn out talks, anything to keep themselves entertained. Kal'Reegar rarely saw Tali during this first week and infrequently saw Gerren and Ralin who conveniently disappeared at around the same time regularly. Kal predicted it was to be expected that he wouldn't be seeing much of Tali, but Gerren and Ralin were constantly on patrol together, and during the night at HQ they converse in a hushed manner to one another. '_Either there's a very innocent reason for this, or something else is going on without my knowledge._' Kal presumed, but later decided to pay no heed to their discreet discussions.

The Quarian Scientists stationed with the Squad did not retain to themselves the discoveries they'd made on what is happening to the star, Kal, while he may have excellent deducing skills, had trouble understanding most of it. It isn't that Kal wasn't smart, but he wasn't as good as some with tech. The only person Kal believed who could understand all the diagrams, schematics, and theories is Quinn… but he isn't the sort to idly chat, especially with people outside his comfort zone, in other terms, pretty much everyone outside the squad and Tali.

There are four talents that Quarians have a natural affinity for, engineering, dancing, debate, and the one that most aliens are unaware of is their affection for storytelling. It just so transpired that one of the few unexpected things that occurred during the first week, was that Tali, despite what she seemed, turned out to be a remarkable storyteller. While the squad didn't see Tali often during Haestrom's day cycle, throughout the night cycle they all shared the same hastily dug out cavern that they dubbed 'HQ'. During these nights Tali retold her countless adventures with Commander Shepard on Ilos, Virmire, and the squad's favorite, or at least Kal'Reegar's favorite, the battle on the Citadel against Sovereign, a reaper. '_And even then, the Council disbelieves Shepard's claim that the Reapers are real,_' Kal shook his head at the Council's foolhardiness in the matter, and the Council still blamed the Geth for something that was way beyond their technological capabilities. '_Hell they probably wouldn't be able to find their ass with two hands and a map._' Politics had always made Kal's blood boil, the way politicians squabbled amongst themselves like a pack of hungry Varren was sickening. The Admiralty Board was slightly better than the Council mainly because Kal believed that The Admirals would pay attention and take action to Shepard's claim. '_But, they're still all politicians._' Kal grimaced.

During her stories Tali chatted about Garrus, some Turian who was ex-C-Sec and was also the Normandy's weaponry expert. Tali joked about how Garrus was always on about the calibrations he was doing, or some new algorithm which could improve accuracy. Kal grinned at this knowledge under his visor, _'Reminds me of Gerren…'_ The other person she spoke very highly of was Shepard, The first human Spectre who saved Tali from the clutches of Saren's assassins. Tali talked about Shepard with such vigor and spoke about him more than any other crew member aboard the Normandy. Tali went on and on, about how Shepard was the first person to treat her as an equal during her pilgrimage and his legendary abilities as a leader. '_It's suspicious the way Tali goes on and on about Shepard.' _Kal thought Tali exaggerated Shepard's abilities, but then again he'd never met the man. But it was obvious just from Tali's body language and with the conviction she talked about Shepard, that Kal could tell that she had wanted to be more than just 'squad mates' with Shepard. A very dangerous proposition given that Tali was a Quarian and Shepard, a human.

It was the second week when things got interesting; right on the first day of the second week, a shuttle landed undoubtedly carrying more supplies and dextro-amino nutrience paste. Kal entered the Observatory, which the scientists had set up about 400 meters from the HQ, to inform Tali of the incoming ship. The doors opened silently and Kal walked through the now present opening. The only person inside the research hub was Tali whom to Kal's surprise was paying more attention to a holo than her work at the moment. The holo that was present on her omni-tool was one of Shepard, and Tali was staring off into empty space, daydreaming of him. '_She really is crazy about him…_'

Unsure on how to speak to Tali while she was in this state, Kal cleared his throat and began, "Ma'am a supply shuttle is landing." Tali jumped with surprise and quickly shut off the holo of Shepard.

"Um… thank you, Kal'Reegar," Tali stammered, a blush rising on her sheathed face. Something that Kal'Reegar didn't know, is that she was also going over the available nerve-stim downloads for her suit, she'd been contemplating for a while now on whether to get it or not.

"Sorry Ma'am, I should've knocked first." It had not been Kal's intention to embarrass her, "You really care about Shepard, don't you? I mean, more so than normal.

Tali once again returned into staring off into empty space, "Yes, Kal. Even though he's never expressed any interest in me, I care deeply about him." Tali inhaled, "It seems impossible, I mean, a young woman gets rescued by a dashing commander who lets her join his crew and then goes off to save the galaxy. How could I not develop any sort of interest in him?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Ma'am, but it appears to be pretty impossible. I mean, I don't believe that a relationship between a Quarian and Human could work." Kal pointed out. "and I noticed in one week of meeting you, how did Shepard not realize?"

It took Tali a minute to respond to Kal, "I don't know Kal. Maybe you're right." Tali sounded defeated knowing that it was unlikely that Shepard would notice her, "But, that doesn't mean I won't try. Also, it would not have to be an intimate relationship." Tali said hopefully, "Regarding your last question, I do have a theory. It's just that we Quarians are better at reading body language with the absence of facial expressions, and he's too busy trying to save the Galaxy to notice." Tali hastily changed the subject, "But surely there must be some other reason you came here, not just here to discuss my personnel life."

"To inform you of an inbound shuttle and I came here to get you." Kal pointed out towards the LZ.

Tali nodded and began to move towards the door, both of them began to make their way towards the landing zone. Tali followed approximately a meter behind Kal, They began to make small talk along the way. "So, did you receive any news of what was to be on this shipment?" Kal questioned Tali.

"We we're lucky enough to be able to send a signal to the fleet requesting supplies."

"So, what you're saying is that we have no idea what is on that shuttle?"

"Precisely."

"So..." Kal cleared his throat yet again, "It had to be hard, seeing Shepard again, knowing and thinking he was dead for two years."

"Well, before Freedom's Progress I can remember being depressed for the longest time. Sure, I came back to the fleet as a war hero after the Normandy was destroyed, but I felt a piece of me die inside." Tali gulped for air as she continued reliving the moment, "Right before the Normandy was destroyed, Joker wouldn't leave the ship behind, he was the Normandy's pilot." Tali explained before resuming, "I went to tell Shepard knowing that he could convince Joker otherwise. Shepard told me to get to the evac shuttles... I..." Tali looked down solemnly at her feet. "I didn't even resist, I thought everything would be alright, that Shepard would make it out unscathed." Tali felt a tear running down her cheek, and began to tremble. "That...that..." She felt her throat constricting and was on the verge of breaking down. A flashback struck Tali, her last day on the Normandy.

* * *

Tali was once again on the Normandy, the smells, sounds, and crew she remembered so fondly were all present. She was silently contemplating her own life while eating nutrience paste in the Mess Hall. Tali was not alone, Garrus Vakarian was seated opposite to her as well as well as Urdnot Wrex situated to the right of Tali with various colored chips scattered across the circular table.

Tali laid down her cards on the table, "um... two pairs."

Garrus lifted his mandibles in a smirk, and laid down his cards. "Read it and weep, Full House."

Wrex frowned, "Damn it you pyjak of a Turian!" He threw his cards onto the table in disgust, three of a kind. "Where'd you even learn this human game, pohkher, you called it?"

"Poker." Garrus corrected, "Some of the human officers would play it while off-duty in C-Sec." That is the fifth time Tali had lost, Tali wasn't paying much attention to the game and Garrus could tell. "Tali, is there something on your mind?"

"Hmmm..? Oh, just thinking about home." Tali said absentmindedly, Shepard entered the Mess Hall, Tali seemed to sit a little straighter as she noticed him heading towards their small group huddled around the table.

"Shepard." Wrex nodded in respect and acknowledgement as Shepard approached.

"Wrex. Garrus. Tali." Shepard took a seat on the left of Tali, and he was opposite of Wrex. "You may as well deal me in Garrus, there isn't a single sign of Geth activity."

Garrus shuffled the cards and began to pass them out once again, "You almost seem disappointed at that, Shepard. I'm rather relieved that we 'aren't' being shot at for once." Garrus grinned.

"It concerns me that there should be Geth in this system and turns out, there isn't." Shepard said in a monotone voice that hid his emotions, while examining his cards.

Tali spared a glance at her cards, '_With that information I've received on the Migrant Fleet's location, I can finally go home.'_ She just wasn't interested in playing cards due to that knowledge. '_Our mission is over, I suppose now is the best time to tell Shepard_.' Tali thought glumly.

"Tali, are you alright?" Shepard said, noticing Tali's somber mood, "Are you sick?" His electric blue eyes staring intently at her. Tali blushed, those eyes always had a powerful effect on her, both strong, compassionate, and unselfish; all of which she had grown to love. He was so caring, worrying about the problems of others rather than himself.

She avoided eye contact and muttered to herself, "Here goes nothing..." She looked up, "Shepard, I've received information on the Migrant Fleet's location... I..." Tali swallowed, "I want to go home, finish my pilgrimage."

Shepard nodded gravely, "Won't be the same to fight Geth without you, Tali. Upload the coordinates to Navigation and we'll set off as soon as we-" Shepard never finished, he was interrupted by the alarms which suddenly blared all across the ship. The four sitting at the table stood up simultaneously knocking over the poker chips that were stacked neatly on the table.

"**ALL CREW TO BATTLESTATIONS, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THE NORMANDY IS UNDER ATTACK BY AN UNKNOWN ASSAILANT." **The Normandy's VI screeched over the loudspeaker.

**"**Unknown assailant?" Garrus gave Shepard a questioning look.

"There shouldn't be, scanners were clear the last time I checked," Shepard shook his head.

A shudder rocked the ship, knocking Tali off balance and crashing into Shepard. "Hull breach in Engineering!" Joker called out over the loudspeaker. "Christ, we're sitting ducks, the drive core has been hit!" Tali froze at this knowledge, the last thing someone wanted to be on was a ship that had a damaged drive core with eezo still in it. '_The Normandy almost has a full tank, if the eezo goes off, the explosion will be massive._'

Shepard confirmed that he wasn't hurt and helped Tali to her feet, with some embarrassment on her part. Shepard did what he did best, took command of the situation, "Joker send out a distress signal to the Alliance. Everyone suit up and prepare to... abandon ship."

'_He must realize the implications too..._' Tali thought.

"No way am I abandoning the Normandy!" Joker stubbornly said on Shepard's private channel, the link quickly shut off as Joker severed it.

Shepard turned to face Tali, "Tali, you're the only one suited at the moment, go get Joker, talk some sense into him." Tali nodded and rushed off to the elevator which, thank the Ancestors, was still working. She jammed her fingers on the elevator control button, '_Keelah, these elevators are so slow._' The elevator finally arrived. Tali entered and pressed the 'Bridge' on her way up she felt additional tremors as the Normandy was peppered with laser fire. She could smell smoke climbing through the vents, she turned off her olfactory receptor, not wanting to smell the Normandy, the first ship she served on, burning.

The elevator dinged in a cheerful manner as it came to a stop, which was completely against the mood of the moment. Tali cringed at what she saw when the elevator doors opened, half a dozen bodies lay strewn across the deck. Tali scanned the faces of the fallen, the one body which shocked her the most was the body of Navigator Pressly, his eyes were glazed over looking up aimlessly into the air, his mouth was open as if he had just been about to scream, and metal shrapnel was apparent from the tiny holes that were spread out at irregular intervals along his face. '_Whoever this bosh'tet is who attacked us, I'm going to make them pay._' All Tali felt was fury, white-hot burning fury. Tali climbed over several pieces of the Normandy's superstructure which had become ajar, and made her way through the fire, smoke, and sparks to reach Joker.

"Joker, Shepard has asked for all crew members to abandon ship." Tali called out to Joker.

Joker didn't spin around to face Tali, neither did he budge from his seat." I heard, and I'll be damned if I leave the _Normandy_ like this."

"The_ Normandy_ is lost," Tali almost choked on her words, The _Normandy_ was just as prized in her heart as it was Joker's, "There's nothing we can do."

"I can still save her!" Joker stubbornly said.

'_This is a waste of time, there's no way I'm going to be able to make him budge, maybe Shepard could convince him otherwise?_' Tali left Joker sitting there, still attempting to do evasive maneuvers to get the Normandy out of the way of some of the beams. She found Shepard putting on his armor, he was just about to put on his helmet.

"Shepard, I couldn't convince Joker, he's determined to go down with the_ Normandy_." Fire was apparent all across the Mess Hall, the _Normandy_ wasn't going to take much more. Tali raised her arms to shield her eyes from the blinding light.

"Get down to the evac shuttles, Tali. I'll take care of Joker."

"But... Shepard..."

"Tali. Go." Shepard said more forcefully, "Now."

Tali lingered for a second before finally complying and ran off to one of the evac shuttles, Garrus waved her into the one that he and Kaidan and several other crew members were cramped inside. "We got Tali. Activating shuttle." Garrus said into his comm. They took off, now Tali could see how badly the Normandy's exterior was damaged, there were several large scorch marks where the laser had melted right through the ablative armor and countless additional holes along the exterior of the_ Normandy_. They received no information on Shepard or Joker during the 9 minutes they waited, Tali grew more and more restless with each passing second. '_What if I never see Shepard again... I never told him... about my feelings, that I love him._' Tali quietly sobbed into her hands. Then raised her head and noticed another shuttle had launched, she immediately flicked on her Omni-tool and commed the now escaping shuttle, "Shepard, are you there?" Tali said, a flicker of hope burned bright inside her.

Joker's voice was in anguish, "Shepard... didn't make it. He was knocked off by a blast into space with air leaking out of his helmet."

"Maybe we could-" The Normandy split in two in an inferno of fire that was quickly put out by the lack of oxygen. The flicker of hope she had left was now extinguished, she slouched back into the shuttle's seat, defeated. '_Shepard... Killed? No. Impossible. He can't_!' Tali turned off her vocal processer and cried to herself, alone, in the confines of her suit. '_My fault. My fault._' She kept repeating over and over to herself, '_If only I had forced Joker..._'

Her Omni-tool began to slightly flash, along with Kaidan's and Garrus's, indicating that she had recieved a message, downheartedly she opened it up, having nothing better to do than mourn her crush's death. Shepard's face appeared when she opened up the message and it began, "If you receive this message, then I have been Killed in Action, I have composed private messages to each and every one of you in the case that... I die." It was an automated message, Tali checked the composition date, '_Right before Ilos._'

Shepard continued, "Tali, I've seen you grow from the kid you were when we met on the Citadel, to one of the best damn fighters and engineer I've ever had the pleasure of working with. " Shepard was confidant and sincere as always, "Tali, don't lose whatever hope you have, you still have the Fleet, no matter what happens you still have your people to go back to. I know that one day, you'll take back Rannoch from the Geth, and I know that you'll win." Tali eyes watered over, "Whatever you do Tali, no matter what some may call you," Shepard's voice continued, "know that I would be proud of you." The recording shut off, it was finished. She couldn't help but start to sob again for her Commander, her Captain, her crush. Through tears Tali whispered one thing, "I know that wherever you are, Shepard, the Ancestors are watching over you. Rest easy, you perfect bosh'tet. Keelah se'lai."

* * *

Kal'Reegar abruptly stopped, and turned around. "There would have been nothing you could do. You might have been dead along with Shepard, and no offense, but I think Cerberus would have only brought Shepard back." Kal put a supporting hand on Tali's shoulder.

"But, when I saw Shepard on Freedom's Progress-" Tali continued, her manner of speaking had reversed and Tali now bore a slight smile. "-I don't even think I truly believed Shepard was still alive until I was on the shuttle back to the fleet. I was in such shock." Tali was on the verge of tears again, but this time it wasn't due to depression, it was due to joy, "Shepard asked me to rejoin him on the Normandy SR-2 after he gave us Veetor. I still question myself on why I rejected his offer, some stupid inborn sense of honor I suppose." Kal nodded and resumed their walk to the LZ. A more recent flashback.

* * *

Tali took in the landscape of Freedom's Progress, it was quiet, too quiet. They scanned the planet only to discover no advanced lifeforms were present on the surface with the exception of Veetor'Nara vas Moreh. The entire colony was just, gone, with no trace of any human colonists. Tali shivered in her perfectly temperature controlled suit, whatever it was that could abduct an entire Human colony she had no intention, or desire to face it.

Prazza was staying back along with Lewri and Galra a few meters behind Tali. Tali lifted her arm perpendicular to her body and formed her hand into a fist, a sign to stop, they all grouped up against a nearby wall, Tali slid over to the edge. '_Maybe it's not so quiet after all._' Tali could hear a soft mechanical whirring in the background, she climbed a ramp and she peeked around the o into what had previously been a house for a colonist, and was rewarded with a bullet whizzing past her face. She quickly went back into cover, '_Mechs...' _Tali pulled out her shotgun as the whirring got progressively louder. All the combat advice she got from Shepard and Wrex aboard the_ Normandy_ came back to her in an instant. Tali rolled out of cover and blasted the mech point blank in the torso. The mech flew back as the kinetic force of the shotgun slammed it against a wall, obliterating it.

Tali waved her arm at the rest of the squad in a signal to follow her inside, once the squad had entered the door mechanically closed behind them. Tali squatted down to salvage the LOKI mech and scanned the contents of it's memory core with her Omni-tool, '_Let's see why you're attacking us..._' She groaned inwardly when she found the reason, the mech was set to Prime Directive, to attack all targets except the Prime Directive, who just happened to be Veetor, was what Tali gathered from the command port.

"Explains why he ran away from us at the Landing Zone. Must've thought these 'monsters' would come back." Galra said, They had seen Veetor when they were approaching the planet, instead of heading towards the shuttle, like any sane person would have done, Veetor fled into one of the many human structures on the surface.

"Tali'Zorah, why are we wasting our time here? Surely there must be a more important mission than retrieving a single psychotic Quarian pilgrim." Prazza snorted. Tali glared at Prazza, he returned the glare.

The group had stumbled upon a distress signal coming from Freedom's Progress along with a short message from Veetor, "Help. Monsters. Swarms. Have to hide. Have to help me. They'll come back for me. No one escapes." Veetor said half in resignation and the other half pleading. Which was the only reason why they had diverted their attention to the colony in the first place.

"You would leave another Quarian in danger, Prazza?" The rest of the squad began to glare at Prazza too, it was a selfish thing to not help another Quarian in need. Prazza shrunk back and averted his eyes, subdued for now.

'_This place gives me the creeps,_' Tali shivered as she examined the still steaming food at one of the nearby tables, '_Lo__oks as if they were right about to eat and they all vanished._' Her train of thought was interrupted as the door unexpected opened behind her.

The squad turned towards the noise and aimed their guns at the door, or more specifically the three humans at the now opened door. The humans likewise returned the warm welcome by aiming their guns at the Quarians. The humans were clothed in white, black, and gold armor, the one in the middle was wearing a helmet. When Tali saw the symbol on the Human's arms she froze, 'T_he human fanatics..._'

"Cerberus." Prazza growled pugnaciously, recognizing the anecdote.

Instead of addressing Prazza's claim, the helmeted human in the middle, obvious the leader of the group, turned to Tali, and said in the voice of a dead man, "Tali?!" The man quickly lowered his gun and ordered his associates to do the same. Tali had saved the recording of the message Shepard had composed to her two years ago on her Omni-tool, whenever she was feeling down, she would play it, she could recognize that voice anywhere. Tali lowered her shotgun as well and ordered Prazza and her squad to do the same. Prazza hesitated for a second and gave the Cerberus group a 'just-give-me-a-reason' glare, but grudgingly lowered his weapon as well. The man took off his helmet, what was underneath was unbelievable.

"Shepard? Is that... you're alive?" Tali gasped as she examined his face, it was Shepard, or very closely resembled Shepard, with hundreds of violently pulsing scars all across his very much alive face. "But...you're dead. I watched the Normandy get destroyed." Not quite believing what she saw. Tali gave closer examination to Shepard's squad mates, the one on the left was a human female, average build, but that was about the only thing 'average' about her. The one on the right had a darker skin tone than Shepard or the female, his hairstyle was similar to Shepard's short cropped hair, and had brown eyes. They all shared one thing in common; the Cerberus logo on their armor. Tali turned her attention back to Shepard, "And now you're working for Cerberus?"

"Actually, I was only mostly dead." Shepard smirked, with his still ruggedly handsome smile which seemed to be even more effective with all those scars. Tali couldn't help but feel slightly irked, '_Human humor is so weird, what's so funny about being dead?_' Even so, all those feelings Tali had for the Commander which had previously been buried under grief, were now springing back up to the surface. "Cerberus rebuilt me Tali, they spent a fortune doing so. In exchange I'm cooperating with them to investigate the disappearance of whole Human colonies." Shepard said cordially, Tali inwardly sighed with relief, it sounds like Shepard wasn't working for Cerberus he was just working with them. '_I'd probably be working with a Fanatic group if Quarian colonies were being abducted too.'_

"Cerberus would pay so much for only one man?!" Prazza said incredulously, wondering what made this man, this single human, so special.

"If you've ever seen Shepard in action, you'd understand." Tali commented on Prazza's ignorance. "How do I know it's you?" A flicker of doubt still held strong in her.

"Did the information I gave you on the Geth help your Pilgrimage?"

'_By the Ancestors, it really is Shepard!_' Even the small amount of doubt still left seemed satisfied by this question. "Yes, I followed your advice on the message... it got me my place aboard the Neema."

The female next to Shepard cleared her throat, "This is all very touching, but I'm more interested what the Quarians are doing here." The Cerberus female crossed her arms and rose her nose with an air of superiority when she said, 'Quarian'. Tali looked this female over more carefully and decided she was probably beautiful by human standards. But she had a cold, unsentimental edge in her, and appeared to have racial issues against aliens, especially Quarians, many species already discriminate against Quarians for building the Geth. Tali disliked her already.

Shepard introduced the female Cerberus agent, "Tali, this is Miranda Lawson, she's the director of The Lazarus Project, the project that rebuilt me."

Tali nodded and began her explanation, "One of our people was on pilgrimage here, Veetor, we came here to retrieve him."

"A survivor? He may have information on the attack!" The dark brown human whispered almost inaudibly in Shepard's ear.

Shepard processed what the male Cerberus Operative said and stated, "We could help you. We should team up, we'll have better chances that way.

"Good idea, it'll take two teams to get past the mechs anyway." Tali nodded in agreement, all too happy to have a chance to work with her previous Commander.

Prazza couldn't help but force his way into their conversation, "Now we're working with Cerberus?!"

'_This bosh'tet is really starting to get on my nerves._' Tali thought to herself. "No Prazza, you're working for me. If you don't like it, you can wait on the ship." Tali nearly shouted in irritation, and motioned her head in the direction where the ship had landed to demonstrate that she was serious. Tali turned back to Shepard, "Head for the center of the colony, we'll go the long way around to draw some mechs off you."

Shepard motioned with his head towards a door on the opposite side of the one they had come in from, and he and the rest of his squad began to walk towards it. Remembering something, Shepard twisted his body around and in the same heartfelt voice that Tali had committed to memory, "It's good to see you again, Tali."

"Likewise, Command... Shepard. See you on the far side." Tali bit her lip, _'I almost_ _called him 'Commander_.' while also thinking, '_He hasn't changed a bit, you'd think that it was only yesterday that the Normandy was destroyed._' Shepard smiled, and strolled out the opposing door with his lackeys in close pursuit.

After Prazza was sure Shepard was gone, "You fell for your previous Captain, an alien? You've got to be kidding me." Prazza said in disbelief, completely blowing off Tali.

Tali blushed under her helmet, '_Someone__ certainly caught on._' Instead of trying to deny Prazza's claims, "Let's just go, we've got some mechs to kill." The squad followed cautiously after her.

They hadn't run into any mechs yet and were about three fourths of the way to the compound where Veetor had bunkered in. Tali could hear Prazza whispering to Lewri and Galra, spreading dissent among the squad. That was when it happened.

Tali felt a push from behind and was forced face first onto the ground, "Ugh..." Tali grunted, she rolled over only to find herself staring down the barrel of a Vindicator. Tali focused on the person holding the Vindicator, "What the hell is the.."

"Shut up, Tali." Prazza snarled at her, nudging her with the rifle.

"Prazza, what are you doing?!" Lewri said in shock.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Cerberus is going to cart Veetor away, and Tali would've just let her 'Commander' take him!" Prazza exclaimed to the whole squad, Tali felt a sudden cold feeling grip her abdomen, knowing what was coming next. "Tali is too infatuated with her Commander to see this! If you want to save Veetor, and get him safely back to the fleet, then follow me." Prazza stopped pointed the gun at Tali and took point. To Tali's dismay, four of the five other squad members followed him. Only Lewri stayed behind.

Lewri grabbed Tali's outstretched hand and helped her up to her feet, "Are you all right, Tali?"

"No. Five out of six of the people entrusted to me just betrayed me." Tali sighed and opened her comm to Shepard, "Shepard, Prazza's taken control of my squad, he wants to take Veetor away before you can get to him!"

"Got it Tali, thanks." Came the reply. It wasn't long until gunshots and could be heard in the distance.

"Come on Lewri, let's see how much trouble Prazza has got the squad in." They sprinted for a good minute and followed a trail of LOKI mech corpses that the squad must have ran into, until they came across the source where all the gunshots were emanated from. A deeper rumbling sound could be heard, '_Another mech?_' They skirted along the border and Tali froze when she saw what the rumbling was coming from, "A YMIR mech." she whispered under her breath, '_The squad will be torn apart...'_ Tali tried to warn Prazza as he approached Veetor's hideout, but to no avail, Prazza had already blocked communications with her. He was completely oblivious to the threat.

An idea sprang to her mind she ran over to a nearby security console that controlled the gate. "Shepard get your squad into position at the gate, I'll open it for you." She worked as fast as her three fingers would allow but she wasn't in time, Prazza the arrogant bosh'tet he was, walked right up to the middle of the plaza and accidentally triggered the YMIR's proximity scanner. A creaking noise could be heard as the YMIR brought itself to full height, Prazza and the two troops with him, stubbornly fired at the mech. They quickly discovered that it was of no avail, the bullets didn't even penetrate the shields, and attempted to dash back behind cover as they were exposed in the middle of the plaza. The YMIR bore down on them with its heavy machine gun and grenade launcher. Prazza didn't even stand a chance, he was shot to shreds as the heavy machine gun unleashed it's fury onto the fleeing Quarians. Galra was shot in the leg and shrieked in agony. Zalak was absolutely destroyed as a grenade projectile found its mark, staining the ground red with blood.

Shepard got into position behind some large crates, he readied himself for combat. Shepard attacked and ordered his comrades to perform biotic moves on the YMIR simultaneously while he used a concussive shot, the combined effect of two overloads and concussive shot destroyed it's shields, which in turn made it stagger backwards. Instead of focusing on the remnants of the Quarian squad, the YMIR turned its attention towards Shepard and began advancing on his position. Shepard did not relent on his attacks, and kept the YMIR at bay. Using this distraction to her advantage, Tali quickly dragged Galra out of danger. She rested his body against a wall behind cover and started applying medi-gel to his wound. All Galra did was hang his head in shame, and averted his eyes from Tali's.

"Where's Arra and Tao?" Tali asked, concerned for her squad, even if they did mutiny.

Galra finally looked up at Tali, "They were supposed to be providing covering fire in that building there-" Galra pointed his finger to indicate which building, "They're probably fine.

After Tali had administered the medi-gel she came to realize that the gunshots had stopped.

Lewri crouched on the ground next to Tali, "Go get Veetor, Tali. I can take care of the wounded." Tali nodded and peeked over cover to see how her former Commander had fared against the mech. It had been a short battle, the mech had toppled over onto it's side and was riddled with bullets.

"I'm sorry, Tali." Galra apologized, "Cerberus tried to destroy the Idenna, I didn't know if we could trust them."

"I know. The only reason why were working with them is because, I know Shepard, I trust him."

"I hope you're right."

Tali climbed over the barricade and noticed that the door to where Veetor was hiding had been opened, as she approached the door and caught a snippet of a conversation going on inside, "...We aren't going to get much more information out of him, get his Omni-tool data, grab the Quarian, and let's go." Said a curt feminine voice, '_Miranda Lawson, i presume?_'

Bewildered, Tali ran the rest of the way to the building and promptly entered, '_Was Prazza right? Has Shepard changed that much? Did Cerberus change him?_'

'_If they changed Shepard in any way, I'll personally lead a squad to attack their HQ._' Tali alleged, not that she'd really do it, one squad going up against Cerberus would be suicide, it just made her feel good to say that she'd hurt Cerberus for changing her love.

"What? Veetor is injured. He needs medical treatment, not an interrogation." Tali said as she rounded the corner. "We'll give you any information we find out about what happened."

"He'll be returned unharmed." Jacob said.

"How do we know you'll give us the information? One of your squad already tried to betray us." It was clear that Miranda didn't trust Tali as far as she could throw her., and given Miranda physical appearance, that distance probably wouldn't be very far.

"Prazza was an idiot, he and his men paid for it. You're welcome to Veetor's Omni-tool data, but please, let me take him." Tali growled, '_Two men need to be committed to the Ancestors now from that mistake.'_

'_This will be my proof that Cerberus hasn't corrupted Shepard's mind yet... Assuming he gives us Veetor._' Tali waited patiently for Shepard to come to a decision.

"He's traumatized and needs medical care, Veetor goes with Tali," Shepard motioned to his other Cerberus associate, "Jacob, copy Veetor's omni-tool data and let's get out of here." Miranda looked shocked, '_Not everyone is as heartless as you, tuho_' Tali futilely directed her thought to Miranda.

Tali breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad you're still the one giving orders." Tali glared at Miranda when she said 'you're' under her helmet.

Tali approached Veetor slowly and put an arm around Veetor, "Come on Veetor, I can take you to a safe place away from the monsters and swarms." Tali coaxed, she slowly lead Veetor outside. A hand gently tapped her shoulder before she could leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to rejoin the squad? We could sure use a good engineer, and you're the best there is. It'll be just like old times."

The notion of rejoining Shepard was tempting, even if it was on a Cerberus vessel, but one thing Shepard had taught her held on tenaciously, "Shepard I did what you asked, I joined the fleet. Now I have responsibilities, I can't just abandon my mission." After so long of wanting him, her assiduous side won out. "Not even for you."

Shepard nodded soberly, "'The mission always comes first.'" Shepard said, quoting himself.

For a moment, Shepard looked weary, and his eyes were dull, and then just as quickly returned to looking like the confidant, energetic, charismatic man that he portrayed himself to be. '_Keelah, the only time I saw him like that was after Ashley's death on Virmire._' It was moments like that when Tali wished that she could comfort Shepard, to offer words of encouragement.

"Don't worry Shepard, we'll see each other again, I know it." Tali promised, she certainly felt for Shepard, trapped between Cerberus and the need to assist his own people. "Besides, you're probably the best person for the job of saving humanity, again."

"Thanks, Tali." Shepard said as he gave her a cordial hug. Tali couldn't help herself as a warm feeling spread across the length of her entire body when Shepard touched her. They both said quick good-byes and headed their separate ways.

* * *

Kal quietly absorbed this information and by this time they had made it to the entrance of the LZ. "Looks like we'll find out what exactly is in that shuttle soon enough, Ma'am. And thanks-" Kal twisted his chest and head back to Tali, "-For telling me."

"Kal!" Tali's voice chased after him, Kal cocked his ear towards the voice, "Kal, you can call me Tali."

"I'll get to work on that Ma'a... Tali."

Kal'Reegar surveyed the crowd congregated outside the shuttle, everyone was present, except for Ralin and Gerren. "Where the hell has Ralin and Gerren wandered off to?!" Kal'Reegar shouted in frustration.


	5. Chapter Four: Fraternizing

**Author Notes: This is what was at the end of Chapter Three. I added two flashbacks in 'Welcome to Haestrom' which caused the entire document to have a word count of over 10,000 words. In order to cut down, I cut off the ending to 'Welcome to Haestrom'. I would suggest that you read through the flashbacks during Tali/Kal's conversation in Chapter Three.**

***3/5 Editing. More detail.**

***3/14 Edited for realism, more dialogue, etc.**

Chapter Four: Fraternizing

Ralin and Gerren were staring off in the shade towards the endless dunes and rocks of Haestrom, together, hand in hand. "So, any other reason for coming out here, other than the obvious?" Gerren said with a lop-sided grin.

Ralin playfully pushed up against him and snuggled up against Gerren's shoulder, "It reminds me a bit of some holos my parents would show me when I was very young, those of Rannoch."

"Well, it is quite serene out here." Gerren agreed. An awkward silence was bestowed upon the couple.

"Also, do you remember how Quinn said there was a diminished amount of bacteria and viruses?"

"Yes…" Gerren responded cautiously, "Why do you ask?"

"Well…. I had some other ideas for what we could do…" Ralin said timidly while slowly tracing a circle on the ground with her left foot. Gerren's eyes widened, he knew exactly what she was insinuating.

"Ralin, we can't do that, we could both get sick, while this planet is mostly sterile, this planet is not completely sterile. Besides, fraternizing with another squad mate while on a mission is against the regs." Gerren cleared his throat, "We've barely scratched the surface of the Pemla'tiyl...*"

Ralin dismissed Gerren's claim, "I doubt Kal'Reegar would court martial us for fraternizing." Ralin blushed at the words, 'fraternizing.' After which A heavy silence followed, "Besides, I know you want this as much as I do." Ralin reached for Gerren's visor.

Before Ralin had the chance to remove Gerren's black, opaque visor, Gerren quickly grabbed hold of Ralin's hands. "We do it together then." Ralin nodded slowly and Gerren's hands slid down Ralin's arms, up her neck, and finally stopped once they reached her visor.

Haestrom stood at a standstill. At an unspoken command they both removed the other's visor and gently placed it down next to them. What came next was an eternity of absolute bliss as they both gazed into their significant other's eyes and began to take note of some of the characteristics of their lover's face. Ralin's irises were a lustrous green that gave off a sort of sparkling sensation similar to a twinkling star. Gerren had one vibrant hazel iris on his left eye, and his right eye was a stunning blue which bore a remarkable resemblance to the sea. They both admired the other's extremely pale white-gray complexion, both of them were relatively young and little sign of age showed on their faces. (_Gerren being 26 and Ralin, 23._) New sensations arose now that some of their skin was free from the dark enclosure of the suit. They could finally feel the dusty wind blow against their face, smell the arid air, and look upon Haestrom's many dunes without the restrictions of their visor. Gerren found his eyes tracing Ralin's _Faysakt_ which started near her brow then continued along her forehead.

"Ralin. You're... beautiful..." Gerren literally could not stray his eyes from her. He realized that he had nothing to compare her beauty with, his mother had died during childbirth, and he had never been with another female Quarian in such an intimate sort of way. But, somehow, Gerren knew that by Quarian standards she was _very_ attractive.

"You aren't too bad yourself." Ralin briefly blushed, her skin turning slightly more gray at the cheeks. This was something that Gerren could now observe, rather than just guessing, because neither of them were wearing their visors. Ralin, likewise, had next to nothing to compare Gerren with. Being one of the rare Biotic Quarians was an arduous task. She started displaying an affinity for biotics at seven, which her parents tried to hide. Unfortunately, in the close confines of a ship, nothing remains a secret for long. When she was only ten, she was taken from her parents by the newly appointed Admiral Koris, the youngest Quarian Admiral to date, and placed inside a biotic school on Thessia, a very expensive operation for the Admirals. She lived with the Asari for twelve years and six months, rarely seeing another Quarian other than Admiral Koris, who checked on her periodically, and never saw her parents again, not yet anyways.

In a split second they found both their lips tenderly intertwined along with a passionate embrace. Both of them had soft, tender skin, which was very sensitive to touch. It was minutes of uncontrolled lust before their lips finally parted. Gerren let out a soft chuckle as he sat on the ground, Ralin sat on the ground with him and unleashed a perfect smile that Gerren could finally admire with his own eyes, as well as every other line and contour on Ralin's beautiful face, her coy attitude all but forgotten.

'_And to think, she was the timid one in the Squad! I remember when she accidentally ran into me in the Forward Batteries looking for the Training Room, and we talked the entire flight. ' _Gerren reminisced, with a slow smile creeping up on his face from this memory.

"What is it, Gerren?" Ralin said with a hint of curiosity. Gerren's expression changed to one of confusion for a second, Ralin sounded different. It took him a moment to realize that it was because now that she was no longer wearing the visor, so therefore, her voice was no longer synthesized by the suit. Now, her voice was more pronounced with a thicker accent and the metallic, synthetic quality that the vocal processor encumbered onto her, was no longer present. She sounded more alive, more real. He loved it. '_It's also because my audio processor is no longer producing that flanging effect_.' He contemplated as he put more thought into it.

"Oh, it's nothing." Their eyes locked again and Gerren flashed Ralin a quick grin, "It's just that… your kiss tasted good." Gerren leaned in towards Ralin and kissed her again and again, Ralin complied, quite enjoying the new found attention. They finally finished and Ralin licked her lips, "Your kisses taste good as well… If we're going to continue this, we should head back to HQ, or at least something more comfortable." Ralin paused and flashed Gerren yet another perfect smile, "I don't think the ground is an appropriate place…"

"The HQ sounds good, there's supposed to be a supply shuttle today, that should distract the rest of the group long enough." Gerren said, all resistance to the idea had dissipated. They both stood while picking up their visors, hand in hand, and took off for the HQ.

* * *

"Venn!" Kal'Reegar yelled, fury rising in his voice.

_'Looks like Kal woke up on the wrong side of the bed… probably shouldn't piss him off further.'_ Venn thought.

"Yessir?"

"I'm assigning you to go find Ralin and Gerren, make it snappy."

"On it."

'_That had to be the shortest conversation in history…_' Venn alleged as he sprinted away from the Landing Zone and started listing off places in his mind that he could check. One place persisted in particular, '_HQ…_'

It was about a 3 minute sprint to HQ, Venn was too distracted to notice those minutes fly by as he ran the entire length of the way. Venn stood at the door to the HQ, and scanned the door with his omni-tool to discover that Gerren and Ralin were the last ones to enter the HQ less than 5 minutes ago. '_Wasn't too hard._' Venn entered his pass-code at the nearby terminal and pushed on the door's magnetic release. Venn walked in… Nothing could have prepared him for the next 5 extremely awkward seconds.

* * *

Ralin and Gerren had made it back to HQ. Anxiety showed on both their faces, they were only comforted by the fact that their lover looked just as nervous as they did. Ralin put a hand on Gerren's undoubtedly muscled chest, which was still covered by the suit and lead him over to a bed, both of their lips met hungrily until Ralin broke it off by pushing Gerren into a sitting position on the edge of the cot.

"Just enjoy the show…" Ralin purred seductively while pulling off the top few pieces of the black suit and her red trimmed orange hood. When she undid the latches on the back of her helmet and removed the helmet, raven black hair tumbled out as she shook it free from its previously entrapped position. Her hair fell until it was well past shoulder length. Gerren found himself staring at one place in particular, Ralin's hips, '_I'll be damned if I find any species that has more attractive hips than us Quarians_.' Ralin noticed Gerren's change in concentration and began to slowly gyrate her hips back and forth to bring even greater attention to that part of the body. This proved to be an utter success, Gerren was completely entranced by the young Quarian's enticing hips.

"Keelah, I can't believe that we're really doing this." Gerren said, his voice was a mixture of excitement and curiosity.

Ralin smirked as she pulled off the last piece of her suit on her chest. "Better believe it." With her bare breasts now exposed she began to pull off the pieces on Gerren's suit. Ralin had full breasts which managed to entice, but not overdo, and she seemed quite unabashed with her body, unlike when she conversed, she seemed nervous. She used her biotics to help remove Gerren's suit, partially to impress Gerren with her precise skills with biotics, and partially because it was quicker than removing the suit by hand. Ralin got halfway through the process of removing Gerren's suit when the door unexpectedly opened.

Venn stormed inside, he stared in bewilderment as he saw Ralin and Gerren snap their heads towards the door, the room went completely silent as Venn began to put the pieces together, not that it was incredibly difficult to put the pieces together, but Venn did not believe that someone such as Gerren could possibly break this severe of a regulation.

Venn averted his eyes from Ralin and Gerren's half naked bodies and mumbled an apology, "Should have knocked, Kal'Reegar wants you both at the Landing Zone." Venn promptly retreated out of the room just as fast as when he had entered. Gerren and Ralin looked at each other and in silent agreement and began to redress.

* * *

Venn was loitering just outside the door; he decided to play with the couple a little as they returned outside, fully clothed in their environmental suits. "To be honest, I always thought Gerren would fall for one of those big ass guns he's always calibrating." Venn said with a smirk, "Looks like I was damn wrong."

"Hm, Similar to how we thought that you were getting mated to the Serei, right _expert pilot_?" Gerren's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You bet I am. Got the fabric that goes over my suit 'n' everything. Now, enough about my personal life." Venn was trying his hardest to ignore what he had just witnessed by deflecting it with humor. "We need to see Kal ASAP, he wants us to play nice with Zelzah's Squad."

"Zelzah's Squad?" Ralin said with a confused tone, "What are they doing here?"

"Follow me, I'll explain on the way." Venn said cheerfully, although he was feeling anything but cheerful. Venn had unoffically taken the role of 3rd in Command of Project Haestrom, and he was actually doing a fantastic job at it, which included bolstering morale. "Zelzah's squad has been sent to offer additional support." It was a quiet walk back the rest of the way to the Landing Zone, once the group had finally reached the entrance to the Landing Zone, Venn turned to Gerren and Ralin, "Play along with what I'm going to say to Kal."

"Ralin! Gerren! Where in the name of the home world have you two been?" Kal shouted towards the group at the entrance of the Landing Zone. Unperturbed by Kal's yell Venn kept walking until he was standing directly in front of Kal.

"Sorry, Kal" Venn said for them, "The radiation fried both of their internal comm systems." It was a pretty weak excuse, but Kal didn't appear any the wiser nor did he push for a more reasonable excuse.

"Damn star, it's burning through our equipment faster than we can requisition for it!" Kal groaned, he turned to the unknown Quarians behind him and began his introduction, "This is Squad Leader Urla'Zelzah. Now I want you all to get along and share your 'toys'" Kal said, referring to the weapons.

"But we don't like sharing, Kal!" Venn said feigning immaturity.

"You're sharing and you're liking it!" Kal poked Venn in the chest to make a point. All in good fun of course.

Ulra was wearing a Red-plated suit, much like Kal'Reegar, with white trimmings along the hood and body, she extended her hand out to Venn, "I already know about the fuss you made with that shuttle, Venn'Ryaan."

'_Well this is just a perfect way to start out_.' Venn thought sarcastically. He shook her hand anyway.

"Pleasure to meet you, Urla'Zelzah."

She must've seen something from Venn's body language or his voice but what she said next surprised him, "Don't get me wrong, Venn. I approve of what you did, if you ask me that tuho Daro'Xen had it coming to her for a while now. If you've ever meet her in person, then you'd realize how much of a total bitch she is."

Venn grinned that at least someone agreed with his view on Daro, "Keep it up and you might have to take me home with you, Urla."

"Tempting... But you should stick with your ships, fly-boy." Urla teased, she nodded to Kal'Reegar and returned back to her squad.

Tali came out of the shuttle handling two explosive charges, "Well at least this requisition got through."

"What's with the bombs? We finally going to do something fun, mainly one involving a lot of explosions?" Gerren said in anticipation.

"It's to obtain a core sample, I remember Commander Shepard did something similar with a mining laser."

"We never get to do anything fun!" Gerren threw his arms up in mock exasperation and stormed away.

The star was beginning to set, so both squads returned to the HQ to catch up with some well-earned rest, but as it turned out they were two beds short. Ulra had offered to sleep on the ground until they requisitioned another two beds, but Venn wouldn't hear a word of it and let Urla take his bed, even after Urla and Venn had a 3 minute dispute. Kal couldn't help but smile at Venn's stubbornness and chivalry. But the squad was still one cot short... That problem wasn't solved so easily. After no one had voluntarily given up their bed, Ralin suddenly spoke up, "I can sleep with Gerren." She quietly suggested.

Before anyone had time to disagree with the idea, "That'd be fine with me, sir." Gerren said hopefully.

Venn scrutinized Ralin, _'Those cots are small for one person, let alone two.'_ After what Venn had seen earlier today he know that this was exactly what Ralin wanted, to be close, very close, to Gerren. '_Hell they'd be sleeping side by side._' Venn thought as he discovered the devious part of Ralin's idea. "Hell, by the way you're acting, I would've thought that you two were already hitched!" He scoffed loudly as he bent over from the continuous laugh.

"Excuse me?" Ralin crossed her arms over her chest and shot a death glare at Venn. Her tone was of someone not to be messed with. He barely would have been able to tell it was Ralin who said that.

Venn ceased his jocular activities as he remembered some advice his father had told him. "_Alright, first rule of Quarian Mating is to NEVER, and I mean NEVER, get between a female and her mate. Our females are... What's the word? Possessive? Overly protective? Something like that. They will, quite literally, KICK your ass if you come between them and their mate. Heed my advice, boy. You'll need it some day." _

"I didn't say anything..."

"That's what I thought."

Kal scratched approximately where his neck was, "I don't know, we do need another cot, but this idea is already breaking four regulations that I can list off the top of my head." Kal voice was under toned with suspicion and at the last moment when Ralin was sure that Kal wouldn't allow it, "I guess I can let the regs slide for the time being..." Also, Quarian females are known to be stubborn, she'd probably do it anyway, even if he commanded her not to.

Ralin's heart skipped a beat at this news. She eagerly walked over to Gerren's bed and laid down, Gerren put his arm around her and the two curled up next to each other. Before Ralin and Gerren knew it, they were both happily asleep with their significant other right beside them. The rest of the Squad quickly followed them into slumber.

The nights on Haestrom were eerily quiet, while the complete silence may be pleasant to some species, Quarians had grown used to relying on hearing the engine of their ship, no sound meant a dead ship to Quarians. However, by this time Kal's squad had adapted and was sleeping comfortably, Zelzah's squad on the other hand was tossing and turning at the absolute silence. It all began to fade away into darkness as Kal'Reegar shut his eyes.

* * *

**The Next Day:**

Kal woke abruptly at the sound of Venn groaning. Kal saw Venn sitting upright on the ground with his hands grabbing at his back. Venn, seeing that Kal was awake, complained, "My back hurts like hell. Next time Kal, you get to sleep on the ground." Venn joked, obviously his back pain had not damaged his morale one bit.

"Serves you right for playing the good guy, CrashMaster." Urla teased, she had woken up without a sound or even a change in breathing.

"A new nickname? I like it, suits me." Venn laughed.

Kal scanned the area, there was only one unoccupied bed, which was Quinn's. "Where did Quinn wander off to?"

Venn yawned, "He said he was going off to the comm station and check the scanners. He seemed disturbed, I mean, more than usual."

"For some reason I feel as if..." Before Kal could finish, the proximity alarms blared its high pitched wail.

* * *

**So, which Squad mates will be killed off? Will Gerren and Ralin's romance meet an unfortunate accident? Will anything occur between Venn and Urla? **

***Pemla'tiyl - First stage of Courtship, Literal translation: "Pathway to the Mind"**


	6. Chapter Five: The Attack

Chapter 5: The Attack

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* * *

"Ah, shit." Venn sprang up from his sitting position, his back pain apparently trivial at this point. The rest of the squad rose at the unexpected sound of the proximity alarms, with the exception of Ralin and Gerren who, to more accurately put it, stumbled out of their shared bed.

Kal's Omni-tool began to flash, indicating that someone was attempting to contact him. Kal examined at the ID of the procurer, it was Quinn. He accepted the comm, A screen of static appeared before him. "What the hell is going on, Quinn?"

"- are under attack - the Geth - three -." There was a tremendous amount of static in the voice, it couldn't all be from the star, "Are blocking transmi - tracked - supply shu- make it back."

"There's a lot of static, but I think I understand. Try to make it back, the comm hub isn't a secure location."

Kal turned his attention to the now awaken soldiers, "Y'all heard him, now grab those guns off the wall! We got Geth to fry!"

* * *

**Quinn'Zeeda - 5 Minutes Earlier:**

Quinn wandered in the direction of the Comm Hub, doing one of his favorite things, thinking to himself, '_Dark Energy Theory looks promising. The core sample should prove if it is true for not._' He was visiting the Comm Hub for two reasons: first he was looking over that Dark Energy research, he had tried talking to of the scientists about it, but he couldn't acquire enough confidence to speak his mind. '_Easier to look at data anyways._' Another reason was that he had seen something strange and confusing on the scanner once the supply shuttle had landed, (Which at the time he had been looking over) then it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. He thought that he might be able to glance over the logs to give him some sort of clue as to what he had witnessed.

The Comm Hub wasn't awfully far from the base, but it was on the outskirts close to the Landing Zone. It was a small building, it was also where the gate control to get into the inner portion of the base was located. Quinn stepped inside and logged into one of the nearby consoles. He began searching for the information that would give him a clue as to what happened. All was perfectly normal at first, he observed, then 3 squares indicating an unknown ship or power device began to flash on the scanner's screen, then hastily blinked out of existence. '_What was that?_' He hurriedly began to compare those signatures with any matching known signatures on his Omni-tool. It didn't take long, the Omni-tool identified the signatures as three separate Geth Dropship platforms. Another signature beeped into existence, but the Omni-tool could not identify it with any known readings.

'_Keelah, three Dropships? That's a complement of 30 Geth Troopers, three Primes, and nine Hunters!_' He slammed his fist onto the nearby proximity alarm. It was one of the 'systems' Quinn had integrated into the base during the first week, quite ingenious actually, given that the signal couldn't be disrupted by the solar radiation. '_Need to radio, Kal. Warn him._'

Quinn opened a link to Kal'Reegar, instead of Kal's face appearing, all Quinn got was a wall of static, "What - hell is goin- Quinn?" A gruff garbled male voice said over the comm, definitely Kal'Reegar.

"It's bad Kal, we are under attack by the Geth, from what I can tell it's three Dropships." Quinn noted that one of the Geth Dropships must be eavesdropping on their conversation, as it had turned to intercept and eliminate the source of the transmission, '_Me._'. "They are trying to block our transmissions, Kal, the Geth tracked the supply shuttle." Quinn gulped with dread, "I'm probably not going to make it back, Keelah se'lai."

"-Understand, try to make it back -" Kal said, obviously not catching that last part of Quinn's message.

Quinn cut the link, realizing that it was futile with all the static. _'Wait, Tali's research!_' He thought at the last moment. Quinn quickly copied that data from the research on the star, and created a short message along with it. "Anyone who sees this, get this data to Tali'Zorah. She and the data are all that matters. Keelah se'lai."

His data copying was interrupted by the sound of a ship approaching, Quinn glanced around the room, trying to find something to take cover behind, but there was nothing he could hide behind which would offer him any sort of protection. '_Worst comes to worst, I still have two grenades...'_ Quinn fried the door's lock with his Omni-tool and retreated from the door.

He clutched his M-3 Predator, the only gun he had since he didn't visit the armory before visiting the Comm Hub, and one of his grenades. He heard several somethings hitting the ground outside, he took aim with the Predator, and tried to stabilize it in his hand, but he was hindered by frequent adrenaline shakes, '_I can't do it, my arm is twitching too much._' Quinn thought in resignation, he instead examined the grenade in his hand, a fragmentation grenade, '_Probably won't feel anything..._' Something banged on the door, Quinn prepared his grenade. 'M_ay the Ancestors not make my sacrifice in vain. Keelah se'lai._'A tear streamed down Quinn's cheek, frightened of what lay beyond the real world, imaging what it would be like in the Land of the Ancestors. The Geth at this point had abandoned subtlety and began shooting the lock, attempting to fry the inner workings of it so they could open the door manually.

Quinn frowned, concentrating, thinking that he heard a gunshot that wasn't a Geth Pulse Rifle... Had Kal managed to come all this way? '_No, he thought i was fine, it's probably nothing._' Quinn arched back the arm with the grenade, preparing to throw it. The shooting had stopped all together.

That's when Quinn heard a muffled voice, "-arrus, check what's beyond that door! The Geth were shooting it for a reason!" Quinn once again frowned, '_Geth don't talk._' He holstered one of his grenades and instead took aim with the Predator, '_If this is some sort of trap..._' Another something was trying to open the door, Quinn could hear noises of exertion emanating from the other side.

It wasn't long until the doors reluctantly slid open and a Turian face, probably male, peeked its head inside. Quinn was so surprised that his finger slipped and fired a shot at his Turian rescuer. The Turian quickly retracted his prying head, "Hey! Some thanks!" The shot didn't come anywhere near the Turian. There were several reasons why Quinn was an engineer rather than a soldier, for one, he couldn't hit anything 10 meters away without an automatic weapon and also because he was much better with machines than weapons, he had been since he starting toying around with mechanical parts at the age of four.

"We don't want to hurt you, we need to find Tali'Zorah. Come out, just don't shoot at us again!" Another male voice said, Human. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief, today was not his day to die.

Quinn holstered his gun, and rose his hands to show he was unarmed, "Sorry about that. Finger slipped." Quinn cautiously stepped outside the building and noticed five smoking husks of Geth, all of which were certainly dead. There were three males stationed outside the Comm Hub, a Salarian, a Human, and a Turian.

The Salarian approached him immediately and scanned him from head to toe with his Omni-tool. "Hm, Post-Tramautic Shock, not unusual. No punctures. No foreign material. Fit as a fiddle." Quinn had to make a conscious effort to listen to him, The Salarian was talking incredibly fast. The Salarian smiled up at Quinn and forcibly shook his hand, "Dr. Mordin Solus, just Mordin if you would."

"Er...Thanks, Mordin." Quinn tried to break free, but that Salarian has one tenacious grip.

"Ease off him, Mordin." Mordin stepped aside as the human walked over to Quinn and laid a comforting hand on Quinn's shaking shoulder. "You okay?" The human sounded genuinely concerned.

"If you hadn't come, if the Geth had broken in, I was... Prepared to..." He couldn't bear to say it aloud, instead he held up one of his grenades in his palm. "...Stall the Geth at all costs."

The Turian looked at Quinn with admiration, "Damn, if you were a Turian, such sacrifice is considered one of the most honorable things someone can do."

"Hey, it's going to be alright." The Human reassured Quinn, "What's your name?"

"Quinn'Zeeda vas Derrna." Quinn replied, '_There's something oddly familiar about this human. Cropped brown hair, blue eyes, pale skin tone...'_ He was certain he recognized him or heard of him from somewhere, "Yours?"

"I believe you're already well acquainted with Mordin," he gestured towards the Salarian. "This is Garrus Vakarian." Gesturing towards the Turian behind him. " I'm-"

That name Quinn certainly recognized, '_Tali's stories... If he's Garrus then this must be..._' Quinn suddenly grabbed Shepard's hand and shook it furiously, "Commander Shepard? It's an honor to meet you in person."

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, "I wasn't expecting a hero's welcome."

"You have Tali to thank for that, she wouldn't stop talking about you."

Shepard's eyebrows shot straight up, "She wouldn't? I didn't think that...What she said on Freedom's..." Shepard hastily regained his composure, "Never mind, where is she?"

Quinn began to walk into the compound, "Follow me!" Quinn said eagerly, quite excited to be on one of Tali's fabled adventures with the infamous Commander Shepard. Shepard's squad reluctantly followed him past the gates and into the former Quarian colony.

* * *

**Kal'Reegar**

Everyone, with the exception of Quinn, was inside the HQ now armed to the teeth in a circle around Kal'Reegar, waiting for orders. '_I'm worried about him... Quinn isn't a fighter._' Kal'Reegar broke free of this pessimistic thought and focused on the problem at hand, assigning defensive positions.

Kal'Reegar activated his Omni-tool, on it was a map of the entire base. "Venn, you and Ralin will be hunkered down near the entrance of the inner complex. Here." Kal said as he highlighted the area, "I suggest you take cover behind some of those barricades. Callsign is OP-2."

"You can count on us, Kal." Quinn said, for once not being a sarcastic bosh'tet.

Next Kal turned to Urla who was waiting patiently at the head of her squad, "Urla, I need you and your men to take the high ground. Form a defensive line a few hundred meters ahead of Venn and Ralin. Your call sign will be OP-1"

Urla nodded, "I can tell it took a lot of thought to come up with 'OP-1'" Urla said sarcastically.

"Hey, that's my line!" Venn said in an amused voice.

'_Tali isn't going to like this._' Kal sighed, "Tali I need you and the scientists to remain inside the Observatory."

Kal cringed at Tali's response, "What? I can fight, Kal! I've probably fought more Geth than you have!"

"Tali, it's my duty to protect you, don't make this any harder on me."

"Fine." Tali gritted her teeth, but acquiesced, still fuming that she'd have to sit this battle out.

"Gerren and Daala, you'll be with me, guarding the Observatory."

Kal was finished assigning orders and was about to head off to set up their defensive position, when Venn suddenly suddenly spoke up. "Aren't you going to inspire us with a speech, 'O' great leader?" Venn said with a grin.

'_There's the bosh'tet I know._' Kal thought with a smile. To be brutally honest, he used bosh'tet with Venn as a more affectionate term rather than a demeaning one. "Say your goodbyes, stay in radio contact. Keelah se'lai."

Kal couldn't help but notice how Ralin and Gerren were saying their goodbyes to one another. They were both holding each other, hands in hands, turned towards one another, "You make sure you duck, alright?" Gerren asked her quietly.

Ralin stroked his visor's cheek, "Only if you promise me you'll do the same."

"If we get back to the Migrant Fleet..."

"Not if, it's when we get back." Ralin interrupted.

"Optimist." Gerren accused.

Ralin smirked, "Better than being a clumsy bosh'tet like you."

Gerren remained silent for a second, stared into Ralin's concealed eyes, and pulled her in closer to him, "I love you."

Ralin and Gerren's visors were almost touching at this point, "I love you too." Ralin gave him a kiss as she pressed her visor up against his. There was only one way for Quarians to kiss in full-enviro suit, which was pushing their visor's forehead up against their partner's forehead. This may be why some ignorant aliens believe that Quarians greet each other by headbutting. "Stay safe, Gerren."

Then it was over, they broke off their embrace and parted ways to their designated Squads. The squads then dispersed to their assigned positions. Five minutes later, everything went to hell.

* * *

**Kal'Reegar - Some Time Later:**

"Bosh'tet!" Gerren yelled as a bullet grazed the metal on top of his cover. A Geth Dropship had landed directly in the courtyard between their position and the Observatory and dropped off its load, an estimated 10 through 15 Geth Troopers, two of which died in the first salvo. The Geth Troopers were quite 'squishy' as Geth Troopers had little in the way of armor, until they managed to find cover and recharge their shields, at which point it became frustratingly difficult to penetrate said shields. But that wasn't the worst of it, the worst of it was that the Geth brought along a Colossus.

Kal stared in horror at the behemoth that was directly in front of the door to the Observatory. '_What did training say about this situation? To "kill it off with bug bites"?_' They failed to exaggerate the size of this thing, and mention that it fired heat-seeking missiles. Psychological the thing was terrifying, '_Tali said Shepard managed to take **TWO** of these things out on foot?'_ Kal'Reegar thought in disbelief, he began to bring some order to the situation, "Target the troops, I'll keep firing missiles at the Colossus, we'll destroy it eventually!" He had to shout in order to be heard over the roar of gunfire.

"Good thing these Geth don't have armor-piercing rounds, or we'd be royally screwed!" Daala shouted back. It was only a thin barrier between them and the Geth.

It became a sort of pattern, Move out of cover, aim, fire, duck, reload, repeat. The cycle finally broke, the Colossus's shields were down, "Yea!" Kal cheered triumphantly. "Focus fire on the Colossus! Let's take this bosh'tet out!" A copious amount of bullets and missiles began to pour onto the Colossus, instead of firing back, it huddled up. "You've got to be kidding me!" Gerren yelled in frustration, and gave up his futile assault on the Colossus, "That thing's got a repair protocol!"

'_Killing it off with bug bites is no longer an option._' Kal'Reegar reassessed, trying to devise a new plan of attack. "The Marines Program never prepared us for this contingency." Kal said, his voice was nowhere near as triumphant or ecstatic as it had been. "The way I see it, there's only two options. First option we wait for reinforcements. The second one..." Kal took in a deep breath, "won't be so easy, we have to hit it hard and fast, which means getting up close."

"I prefer the one where we sit back on our asses and wait for reinforcements, we're in no rush." Gerren stated flatly.

Kal peeked his head over cover, and squinted at something behind the Colossus. He was sure that there was something shimmering in the background, right next to the Observatory door... His eyes widened, '_That's a tactical cloak which means..._' He ducked back to the safety of cover, "Looks like we don't have the luxury of time anymore, Gerren." Kal felt dread clutching at his stomach, "There's a Geth Hunter hacking the door to the Observatory."

"Those scientists are practically defenseless. They'll be slaughtered if the Geth hack through that door." Daala pointed out as she inserted a new thermal clip into her assault rifle.

Kal opened his Omni-tool up in an effort to warn Tali, "This is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar to Tali." No response, "Tali, come in!" He tried it a second and a third time, but still no response.

"No use, Kal. Must be those Geth jammers or that damn star that's interrupting our messages." Gerren said.

Daala scrutinized the still down Colossus, "We might be able to make it to that position on the left, with that Colossus still down, now is probably our best chance."

Kal hefted the ML-77 and slid along the barrier to as far as it would extend. '_When we go down this ramp, there won't be much cover._' Kal realized, "We have to get to Tali before the Geth hack through the door." Kal pulled out his Carnifex Mark VII and took aim at the light distortion, using the cover as a stable platform to steady his aim. He fired, utilizing his 10 years of Marine training. Kal grinned as the bullet found its mark and was rewarded by a spray of white hydraulic fluid spewing across the door as its flashlight head exploded. '_That should slow them down for a while._' Another Hunter had already taken its place. "We'll do what Daala said, flank 'em on the left, there's more cover and we're not exposed to the star that way."

"It has been an honor serving with you. Keelah se'lai." Daala shook Kal's hand and did the same to Gerren.

"We'll all go on three." Kal counted down with his fingers, "Three... Two... ONE!" Kal stormed out of cover and down the ramp followed by Gerren and Daala chasing after him. Of course, given their luck, the Geth Colossus had just finished its repairs and began to form back into its spider-like shape. But the group was already committed, they couldn't stop now. To Kal's embarrassment his reckless charge had every single Geth focused on him, depleting his shields almost instantaneously. What happened next is a blur, Kal felt a sharp stinging sensation in his lower leg, and tripping down the remainder of the ramp until his back hit against the barrier located near the bottom of the ramp. "Just keep running!" Kal ordered.

"Ugh," Kal grunted as he lifted his head in dismay. He saw the Geth Colossus twisting its head to track the exposed Quarians. It took aim and a missile screamed from it, "Daala, take cover!" Kal shouted in vain when he saw its intended target. Daala only had time to twist her head towards the incoming missile, and not even enough time to scream. The missile hit Daala directly in the upper torso and fragmented immediately after. Her corpse stumbled back and collapsed into a bloody heap on the ground. A pool of bright red blood began to form around the dead Quarian.

'_My fault.'_ Kal thought to himself as he stared at the body. He felt abysmal, what came next only reaffirmed his lapse in judgment. Gerren turned his head and began to slow to see what happened to Daala, his eyes widened with fear as they stumbled upon Daala's corpse. Gerren hesitated altogether as he gawked at it. A Geth troop took advantage of the easy shot and took aim for his heart. "Gerren, move you bosh'tet!" Kal'Reegar shouted. Gerren, hearing Kal's warning, moved abruptly and the bullet impacted his shoulder. "Bosh'tet!" Gerren yelled in pain as he rolled into cover behind a fallen pillar. "Suit puncture!" Gerren screamed as he had time to examine the wound.

With the Geth distracted by Gerren, Kal'Reegar limped back up the ramp in order to get to higher ground and be in a position to provide covering fire for Gerren. Two Geth troops began to advance on Gerren's position. Their advance was ended by a well-placed rocket from Kal. Now that Gerren was out of immediate danger, Kal swiftly examined his own wound; he reached down with his hand and ran it along his injured leg. He abruptly moved his hand back at the stinging sensation that occurred. He brought his hand up to his visor. There were only little flecks of blood that had accumulated on the glove, '_Thank the Ancestors. At least something went right.'_ Kal breathed a sigh of relief, the wound wasn't bleeding profusely, it seems that the bullet missed the two major arteries in his leg. '_This is getting out of hand quickly, better comm for backup.'_

"OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar..."

* * *

**Urla'Zelzah:**

"Suppressing fire!" Kes yelled at the top of his lungs as he began to pepper the group of Geth rapidly advancing with his M-76 Revenant, they had run into some trouble too. A lot of trouble.

"There's too many!" Telra said, desperately moving her sniper rifle, the M-97 Viper, from target to target as she scored near-perfect head shots.

Urla had to admit as she analyzed the situation, things were getting pretty dicey, they had run into 5 Hunters and 15 Geth Troopers and it felt as if that was only the start of their troubles. She turned out to be dead wrong, "Call up Kal'Reegar to send support, Kes."

Kes nodded, laid down his Revenant, and sat behind the protection of cover, "This is OP-1 to Kal'Reegar, come in Kal'Reegar." Even though everyone was busy fighting, one could feel the tension in the air as they waited for a response. All that came back was static. Kes shook his head, he wasn't getting any sort of response, "Something is seriously wrong here, first Quinn, now Kal? Something is blocking us from communicating."

Urla scanned the Geth Troopers scattered behind numerous amount of pillars, until she found it. One of them was wearing a huge metal box strapped to its back, A signal blocker, "Telra give me your sniper rifle." Urla barked an order.

Telra handed over the rifle, "Sure, but why?"

Instead of answering Urla took the sniper rifle, aimed down the scope at the Geth and increased the magnification until it was at its highest. Her shot rang out as it pierced both the Geth and the signal jammer. She shoved the sniper rifle back into Telra's waiting hands, "Try him now, Kes."

Kes put both of his fingers up to the location where his ear would be as he opened a comm to Kal'Reegar, "This is OP..." Nothing goes as planned, is what Urla would learn from this.

A body of shimmering distorted light came up from behind the group and approached the oblivious Kes, "Geth Hunter!" Urla yelled in alarm, Kes looked up and saw the body of light moving towards him, he quickly fumbled to grasp his Revenant to shoot it, but the Geth Hunter was too quick, it decloaked and blasted him right through the stomach. Kes clutched his stomach, bent over in agony, and dropped to his knees. Unsatisfied that the Quarian was still alive, the Geth Hunter fired again and again for good measure into the now dead Quarian.

"You bastard!" Trass swung his M-8 Avenger around until it was pointed at the Geth Hunter and squeezed the trigger. Instead of firing, a whirring sound and a flash of smoke was produced. The star had fried the weapon's inner systems. Trass looked down at the dead weapon in disbelief, "You've gotta to be..." Another Geth Hunter decloaked behind Trass and ran him through with an Omni-tool bayonet that was attached to its shotgun. "Agh" Trass grunted as the Omni-tool blade was extracted with a sickening noise. Trass fell as well, his wound was definitely mortal, he was already lying in a pool of his own blood. He curled up and a faint gurgling noise was the last thing they heard, then Trass remained silent, forever.

Telra cloaked and attempted to find a better spot to take cover, but one of the Geth Hunters saw her and clubbed her down onto the ground with the back of its shotgun, but not before Telra had the chance to place a sticky grenade onto its arm. "Keelah se'lai, Urla." The Geth shot Telra in the head then blew up in a spectacular series of explosions.

Urla was dumbfounded, '_I just lost half my squad in under ten seconds._' She realized just how fast the tide of a battle could be turned. Urla felt a deep pulsing sensation of enmity towards the remaining Geth Hunter, who was responsible for Kes's death, and kept shooting it, even after it had fallen and was nothing more than scrap metal and broken circuitry. '_Things couldn't get any worse...'_ She'd learn to regret those words.

Urla noticed a deep rumbling sound was getting progressively louder, it wasn't long until she saw that a giant red Geth was the source, "Geth Prime!" Urla screamed at the top of her lungs. They attempted to beat it back to keep the Geth Prime from destroying the remainder of the squad, but even the squad's best endeavors did little to slow the advancing Geth. The Geth Prime lifted its arm and sent out one of its combat drones to attack, it slipped through the squad's defenses and shocked Atin. While Atin was not particularly hurt by the drone, the influx of energy caused him to spasm and his muscles to tighten uncontrollably. It made him an easy target as the Geth shot him dead.

_'It's as if the Ancestors themselves are against us.'_ The only squad member that survived was Iva, who was still trying to impede the Geth Prime's slow steady movement towards them. Urla felt a bullet hit her arm as she sabotaged the Geth Prime and slumped against the barrier.

The Geth Prime stuttered for a second before turning to crush one its comrades, "Looks like now is the time for a tactical withdraw," The Geth had abandoned their attack on the Quarians and were intent on destroying their former ally.

"What should we do about the bodies?" Iva said with grim concern.

Urla wearily looked over the bodies of the fallen and couldn't help herself from thinking that she just lost four friends on a damn pointless project. "We'll commit them to the Ancestors after this damn project is over." It was Urla's duty as a squad leader that she be the one to visit the family of the fallen. She wouldn't even know where to begin. '_I'll have plenty of time to mourn later, right now I need to focus on staying alive_.' Urla shook her head at that thought, "We'll make a run for Ralin and Venn's position, Okay?"

With the Geth still distracted by the Geth Prime, Urla took one last look at her dead friends and she and Iva quickly sprinted back towards the inner compound. They were about 150 meters from Venn's position when an electronic scream, followed by an explosion, rocked the ground. The Geth Prime, their only distraction had been destroyed. "Keep running!" Urla screamed at Iva as they sprinted across the Valley towards safety. The Valley had no cover to speak of, and the Geth Troopers took advantage of the easy shots due to the flat terrain. The Geth began to rain fire down upon the fleeing Quarians.

Urla felt another bullet hit her just under her left shoulder, '_That's going to hurt a lot later, once the adrenaline and painkillers wear off.'_ She winced at the pain, but continued to run. Iva was trailing a meter behind Urla.

They were almost there, they could see Venn shouting and indicating with his hand to hurry up. '_10 meters, so close._' Then a sound other than a Geth Plasma Rifle reverberated and a fleshy thump occurred behind her, the sound was unmistakably from a Javelin sniper rifle. Urla spared a second to look over her shoulder. A sniper had shot Iva straight through back of the head, her visor was cracked from the exiting bullet along with blood dripping out of the exit wound. "Iva!" Urla stopped and ran over to the body and knelt beside her, even though the Geth were still shooting at Urla. They were less than five meters away from shelter, '_She was so close, why?_' Urla thought in disbelief, she felt numb, she lost everyone she had grown close to in less than an hour.

Urla was interrupted by Venn. He ran out of cover and roughly grabbed her across the chest. Urla struggled at first when he began to drag her towards shelter, "Urla, Iva is gone. Getting yourself killed isn't going to bring her back." Urla stopped struggling, "Don't make their deaths in vain." Urla didn't say anything as Venn set her down behind a wall, she wouldn't even look her rescuer in the eye.

* * *

**Quinn'Zeeda:**

"Eek!" Quinn squeaked as he ran for cover from the sight of a squad of Geth.

Shepard pointed at the approaching squad, "Mordin use Incinerate, Garrus start picking them off with your sniper rifle!" Shepard said calmly as he pulled out his M-23 Katana.

"On it!" Garrus shouted and in quick succession killed two of the five Geth Troopers with head shots. Mordin's incinerate caused one of the Geth to explode in flames. Shepard charged the remaining two with a battle cry. He blasted one of them through the chest. The remaining Geth desperately tried to kill this brute of a man. Shepard's shields absorbed the incoming bullets, and he smacked the Geth onto the ground with the back of his shotgun. He kicked away its rifle, and put a foot onto its chest in what one would call a heroic pose. He lowered his shotgun until it was aimed directly at its head. The Geth furtively tried to struggle and Shepard squeezed the trigger. He methodically executed the Geth, then proceeded to insert a new thermal clip into the shotgun. Quinn cautiously got out of cover as he came to realize the Geth had been decimated.

Shepard walked over to the dead Geth's rifle and shoved it into Quinn's hands, Quinn gave him a puzzled look, "Trust me, it'll protect you better than that pistol of yours." Shepard explained.

Quinn spotted a giant red Geth approaching the Squad, "Geth Prime!" Quinn shouted with fear, unsure whether they could stand up against a Geth Prime.

Shepard popped his neck and fingers, "Finally, a challenge," The Human said in anticipation for the upcoming battle. "Garrus, assault rifle. Mordin, slow it down with a Cryo blast." Quinn couldn't help but admire Shepard's charisma. He certainly had a knack for leadership as Tali had so accurately described. He watched in awe, the battle was nothing but a game for Shepard, and he was the master. Quinn felt inspired by Shepard's leadership, and even fired a few shots and sent a couple combat drones to harass the Geth Prime. It went down just as quickly as the troops did.

They walked through the wreckage of a torn up area and building, then they heard a faint crackling, "OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, come in. Over." Quinn took off for the source. Shepard raced after him, "What is it Quinn?"

"I heard something, our Squad Leader."

Quinn found the source of the voice and was shocked by the sight of four dead Quarians. '_Urla's squad._' He hoped that the two who weren't here hadn't been killed by the Geth. He picked up the headset, "Kal?"

"Quinn, is that you? What happened to Urla and her squad? and more importantly, what happened to you?"

"You're not going to believe it, Kal, but Commander Shepard is here."

"If what Tali said about him is true..."

"It is. He rescued me from the Geth." Quinn took a deep breath and scanned the surrounding bodies, "There are four dead Quarians here, but I don't see Urla among them."

"Quinn, find Urla. Tell Commander Shepard to come to me, we need help extracting Tali."

Quinn looked over the ridge, directly below was about a seven foot drop. He saw three Quarian figures moving off in the distance behind some cover. He began to frantically wave at the group, a male Quarian, Venn, stood up and waved back. "I think Urla is with Venn and Ralin."

Then all of a sudden Venn began pointing into the air and Haestrom trembled.

* * *

**Venn'Ryaan:**

'_I'm sure that those aren't Geth Plasma Rifles being shot..._' Venn frowned to himself while concentrating. The Geth had all but abandoned their attack, all that was left was a few stragglers. Ralin's fist was imbued with biotic energy as she pumped it up into the air, the Geth Trooper she was aiming for found itself a meter off the ground. A well placed shot from Urla stopped its mid-air struggling. Venn inspected Urla, she hadn't said a word to either of them yet, she was still contemplating the loss of her entire squad.

Venn took the Mantis sniper rifle that he had 'borrowed' from the supply shuttle. He looked down the scope and found himself aiming directly at a Quarian, talking on a comm. '_Is that...Quinn?' _Venn stood up from the cover of the barrier, his suspicions were confirmed as the Quarian began to wave at the group. Venn gave him a wave back, then Venn heard a large metallic hovering sound approaching, he looked up into the air and pointed at the incoming object, "Geth dropship!" Venn yelled with a hint of panic. Venn snapped his head towards Ralin, "Ralin, create a biotic barrier around you and Urla."

"What about...?"

"No time to argue, just do it!" Venn barked at her. A purple sphere formed around both Ralin and Urla as they huddled together. The Geth Dropship launched its bombs. Venn braced himself, what was next came a deafening noise, and the world faded into black.

* * *

**Quinn'Zeeda:**

"VENN!" Quinn yelled, he ran towards the rubble which the squad was now trapped beneath. He desperately began to search for them.

"Mordin, offer any assistance you can." Shepard said grimly, doubting that any of them had survived. Mordin ran after Quinn and began to help his search.

They found Ralin unconscious with her back pressed up against a wall, Quinn ran over to her and knelt beside her. Mordin did as well and quickly scanned her, "Multiple fractures on spine. No permanent damage. Suit absorbed most kinetic impact." Mordin laid a reassuring hand on Quinn's shoulder, "Will be fine." Quinn nodded and stood up, searching for Venn and Urla.

Urla was pinned underneath a large piece of metal, with Mordin and Quinn's combined strength they lifted the metal off her. To Quinn's surprise she actually sat up, Urla was one tough Quarian to be able to remain conscious from an explosion of that magnitude. Mordin forced her to lie down again. "Moving while in such state could cause permanent damage. Recommend you stay still. Will only take a moment." Mordin scanned her body as well, the results were not so promising, "Two suit punctures. Medical treatment necessary to prevent infection." Mordin turned to Quinn, "Find Venn. I'll help Urla."

Quinn found Venn, he was shocked when he saw the front of Venn's suit, which was now mostly red tinted, it had originally been black. "Venn, are you alright?" Quinn said as he ran over to him.

"Oh yea, I'm great. Fantastic." Venn moaned, from the looks of it appeared that he got the brunt of the explosion. Now that Quinn was closer to Venn, he could see just how dire the extent of Venn's wounds were. His suit was ripped to shreds, he stopped counting after ten suit punctures. His visor was cracked, but still looked airtight. "Keelah, it hurts to talk." Venn coughed violently and clutched his chest, his breathing was extremely shallow.

"Mordin, I think Venn might need your attention!" Quinn said urgently, Mordin wasted no time in rushing over to Quinn.

He scanned Venn as well, "Reading multiple suit punctures. Extensive damage to cardiovascular and respiratory system. Too many variables to calculate odds of survival." Mordin said grimly, Quinn looked at the doctor who was was intently looking at Venn's wounds, "Can stabilize for now. Requires immediate surgery and cybernetics."

Shepard finished talking to Kal'Reegar and had made his way over to Mordin and Quinn, "Mordin, what's the status of Venn's squad?"

"Those two will be fine." Mordin said as he pointed to the two female Quarians, "This one, Venn, requires emergency evac by shuttle. Surgery and Cybernetic augmentation necessary. Can't do with field tools."

Shepard looked over Venn's wounds and knelt beside him, "I know that you're probably in a lot of pain right now, but I need to know where to go to find Kal'Reegar."

Venn pointed at the door they had been guarding, "Just past that door, can't miss him."

Shepard stood up and activated his comm to the Normandy SR-2, "Miranda, we need immediate evac here, one of Tali's squad mates is in critical condition."

Shepard, after a brief conversation with Miranda, turned to face Mordin, "Mordin you stay here, treat his wounds as best as you can, me and Garrus will go get Tali."

"Affirmative. If Venn does not receive attention soon, results... Problematic." Mordin said with concern.

Shepard motioned with his head towards the door. Both he and Garrus headed off in the direction of the door. Quinn watched them until the door shut behind them. '_If anyone can save Tali, Shepard can._'

* * *

**Will Venn'Ryaan survive his injuries? Will Gerren survive? **

**All these questions and more are answered in the next chapter.**

**Thank you all for the support I've been receiving! All of your continued support inspires me to continue writing this story. **

***This was the last chapter that I had pre-written the plot of, so new chapters may take longer. Besides, now I've got a Romance to write... or two...**


	7. Chapter Six: Damsel in Distress

**Now I've started getting in the swing of things with these chapters, I sure hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.**

***Dedicating this chapter to Robert Sachs, the voice actor for Zaeed Massani, as he unfortunately passed away this month at the age of 61.**

**Beta read by fallenangel8794 on 5/31.**

Chapter Six: Damsel in Distress

**Kal'Reegar:**

At first Kal was unsure whether to believe Quinn's claims or not: The odds of a person finding a Quarian squad, that was on a stealth mission, in a Geth system, were next to nil. These doubts soon dissipated as a Human and a Turian arrived, just like Quinn had said, "Over here! Get to cover!" Kal'Reegar yelled at the two, Shepard swiftly sprinted to cover besides Kal. Just in time too, several bullets passed over where Shepard's head had been moments ago. The Geth, by now, had focused in on their position and we're putting round after round into the barrier, Kal'Reegar extended out his hand towards Shepard, which he respectfully shook, "Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, 78th Migrant Fleet Marines." Kal introduced himself, "I still got no idea why you're here, but now ain't the time to be picky." Kal gave Shepard a run-down of the situation, "Tali is inside over there." he nodded his head towards the Observatory to indicate the direction, Shepard discreetly peeked over cover, "The Geth killed one of my squad, the other one is alive but pinned." Kal pointed to the door directly behind the Colossus, "They're trying to hack the door, if they do, the scientists and Tali will be massacred. But, heh, it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you!" Kal exclaimed with a less than heartfelt laugh.

"Did you try to take out the Colossus?" Shepard said, cognizant of the huge Geth guarding the door.

"We did, it has a repair protocol. We tried to get in closer but... I got shot." Kal said as he revealed the suit puncture on his leg. "Thankfully, it missed both major arteries in my leg."

"I understand, stay here Reegar, you've done more than enough." Shepard dictated.

Kal was slightly miffed that Shepard just got here and was already ordering him around, "No can do, my job is to keep Tali safe. The Geth killed Daala." Kal rashly stood up and took aim at the Colossus with the ML-77, Shepard grabbed him and forced him up against a wall so that he was out of enemy fire.

"If you want to honor Daala, then stay down! I need you here to watch my back in case the Geth bring reinforcements." Shepard released his grip on Reegar.

After a moment of consideration, Kal'Reegar consented, "All right Shepard, we'll do it your way, hit 'em for me! Keelah se'lai!" Kal said with an enthusiastic pump of his fist.

"Will do." Shepard saluted Kal and in an unspoken command, both the Human and the Turian were off. Kal peeked over cover and watched as they bolted off to the left, darting between cover to cover, making their way towards the Observatory. They did make one stop however, when they made it to the pillar that Gerren had hunkered down behind.

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy, are you hurt?" Shepard questioned Gerren. Gerren was surprised, his concern seemed genuine, which was something a Quarian did not receive often from members of other species.

"Gerren'Lakko vas Tonbay. Been better, got shot in the arm." Gerren said while rubbing his right arm. It hurt like hell, but he'd survive. "Um... Do you know if a female Quarian named Ralin is still... Isn't hurt?" Gerren said anxiously, hoping that Shepard could offer some respite to his distraught mind.

The Turian's eyes darted between Shepard and Gerren, "I think I overheard Mordin saying that she was unconscious, but unharmed." The Turian informed Gerren.

Gerren's reaction was immediate, he exhaled the breath he had subconsciously been holding in, relaxed his muscles, and rested his head back against the pillar. '_Thank the_ _Ancestors.'_ He felt positively exuberant that Ralin was unharmed, however, he did feel a nagging sense of concern at the unconscious part. He hoped that whatever had caused her to lose consciousness hadn't produced any severe mental trauma.

Shepard bent down and applied medi-gel to Gerren's wound. He sighed with relief as the soothing effects of the medi-gel spread across his arm, increasing the rate of tissue regeneration while numbing the nerve clusters. "That'll have to do for now. Stay down, once we take care of the Colossus make it up to Reegar." Gerren nodded, he understood perfectly what Shepard told him and he had already gave his word to Ralin that he'd stay safe. He intended to keep this promise, especially now that he knew that she was unscathed.

Then Shepard was off again, employing the same tactics as he did before. They seemed to be working successfully. It was only when Shepard reached all the way to the Colossus that he had to reevaluate. Kal thought he might actually need help, but then he pulled... A weapon of some sort off of his back, It was a strange, brownish weapon of a design Kal had never seen before. It didn't utilize thermal clips, instead it fired a straight beam of white light at the Colossus. Whatever it was, the weapon was effective. Kal's jaw dropped in astonishment as the weapon burned straight through the Colossus's shields and armor. Before Kal'Reegar knew it, a huge fireball replaced the Colossus, it had been completely obliterated by this weapon. _'I take back all those_ _doubts I had about Shepard_.'

Shepard and Garrus took out what remained of the Geth with ease now that the main threat had been nullified. The door to the Observatory unlocked. Kal lost sight of him as Shepard entered.

Gerren, seeing that the Colossus was nothing more than ashes now, and the remaining Geth forces were either dead or dying, followed Shepard's advice and hastily made it back up to Kal's position while clutching his right shoulder, weary of anything that might still be hiding that could ruin his day.

"Gerren, you go on ahead to Quinn, I'll get Tali." Gerren nodded as he passed Kal and Kal began to slowly limp towards the unlocked door.

* * *

**Gerren'Lakko: **

Once again, Gerren remained anxious, silently fearing what he would come across when he approached the shuttle. He was greeted with the sight of a now conscious Ralin sprinting towards him, that itself alleviated most of his fears, they met in an embrace. Gerren whimpered almost inaudibly as an effect of the additional pressure on his right arm, but it was loud enough for Ralin to hear, "Gerren you're..." Ralin said breathlessly as she pulled away from the embrace, her eyes drifted to the suit puncture on his right shoulder and she narrowed her eyes at it, "...hurt."

Gerren spared a second to inspect the wound more closely. It did look nasty. The wound was mostly a reddish-pinkish blob of injured flesh which greatly contrasted to his grayish-white skin. "It looks worse than it really is. Ralin, I'll be-"

"Wait here," Ralin turned back towards the shuttle and boarded it. She soon came back carrying painkillers and antibiotics from the shuttle's inventory. (With Mordin's consent of course!)

"What would I do without you?" He said while flashing Ralin a smile. Ralin handed over the medication and painkillers.

"I thought I told you to stop talking like such a pessimist." Ralin said, while feigning anger and crossing her arms across her chest, "Just think like this," Ralin started to press her body up against Gerren, "we both survived, we're both heading home, and we won't have to worry about the squad or those damn illnesses once we get there." With each reason she listed off, Ralin inched closer and closer to him until they were visor to visor and her voice got quiter until it was barely louder than a whisper. She rested her arms around Gerren's neck, "And we'll have all the time in the world."

"Erm... Lets not do anything too strenuous when we get back to the fleet," He added quickly, "at least not until my wound heals."

"Deal." She said as she pulled herself away from him and in unison headed for the shuttle, hand in hand, "Now, lets get you patched up."

* * *

**The Observatory:**

"Hold on a second Shepard, I'll unlock the door." Tali said into the comm, then tapped a few keys on the console. The door's light switched from red to green. As it slid open, none other than Garrus Vakarian stormed inside.

"My name is Commander Shepard and this is..." Garrus said while imitating Shepard's voice.

"...My favorite Quarian on the Citadel." Shepard finished with a cocky grin as he jogged inside, Tali turned around and shot Shepard a bemused expression under her visor.

"Long story. Endorsements." Shepard explained, sensing the facial expression going on underneath that helmet, "How have you been, Tali?" Acting as if they hadn't just single-handed fought off a Geth Colossus in order to save her. The last time Tali had seen Shepard was on Freedom's Progress, his face had been covered with scars. Now, all that remained was the faint outline of a fraction of those scars. She noticed that Shepard's comforting blue eyes were (staring) right into her eyes, '_Keelah_, _even after so long..._' She resisted the urge to break eye contact, although her cheeks did turn a darker shade.

"Good, considering. Sometimes, I wish I joined you back on Freedom's Progress. But, I couldn't let someone else take a mission this risky." Tali said nonchalantly. Tali took the time to examine Garrus more closely, "Garrus, it's been too long, what happened to your face?" She said, aware of the huge impact hole in his armor and scar running down most of the left side of his neck.

Instead of responding to her question, "Your translator VI is still giving you a stupid accent." Garrus retorted.

"It's not my VI, that's my actual accent!" Tali said in an irritated fashion.

"I see it's still easy to get you off." Garrus smirked.

"Speaking of joining us," Shepard changed the topic, "How about right now? We need you to help us in the fight against the Collectors... and we did just kill a Geth Colossus to save you." He said with an earnest expression.

"Well..." Tali gave some thought to it before coming to a final decision, "I said I'd see this mission through. I did. I'll send the data to the Admiralty Board and they can go to hell if they don't approve..." Tali whispered, "I just witnessed the rest of my team die."

Kal'Reegar limped inside while clutching his leg, "Maybe not the whole rest of your team, Ma'am. Most of my squad and Urla survived." Kal looked in awe at Shepard, "Your old Captain's as good as you said. Damn Colossus never stood a chance."

"Kal!" Tali said cheerfully, she ran up to him and did something extremely unprofessional, she wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace. Kal noticed that Shepard was glaring at Kal and Tali with what looked like hurt, confusion, and frustration all mixed together. "What did I tell you about calling me 'Ma'am?'"

"Sorry about that... Tali." Kal was feeling very uncomfortable with Shepard (staring) at him like that. "Shepard, do you think you could make a stop by the Migrant Fleet? Our ship isn't equipped with the medical stations that your ship is, and we need to deliver this data as quickly as possible to the Admiralty Board."

Shepard frowned, furrowed his brow, and didn't say anything, but he slowly nodded.

"Kal, I'm going to join Commander Shepard's crew, you're going to have to turn the data in for me." Tali said.

'_Rael isn't going to like that his daughter ran off with Shepard, again._' But instead said, "Affirmative, we'd better get going then." They departed from the Observatory for good. Kal couldn't help but feel unnerved, he could feel Shepard's eyes fixated on his back the entire way to the shuttle. They made one stop before they continued onto the shuttle, Daala's lifeless body, Kal'Reegar had the duty of committing her to the Ancestors once they returned to the Migrant Fleet. Kal'Reegar grabbed the Quarian corpse. Tali solemnly looked down in respect for a lost comrade, it was dead silent the remainder of the way.

* * *

They arrived at the shuttle and was greeted with the sight of Mordin shouting and waving his arms for the group to hurry up, "All Quarians aboard, including dead. Venn losing blood. Suggest haste!"

Miranda walked out of the shuttle looking extremely irritated, "Why are we taking all these Quarians? We're only supposed to be picking up the suit-r... Engineer." Miranda said, quickly correcting herself when Kal'Reegar began to stare her down.

"Miranda, we're taking Kal'Reegar and his squad to the flotilla. Then we'll go get that Reaper IFF." Shepard explained in an equally irritated tone.

"I don't think we'll have enough time..." Miranda began, while looking over the six Quarians.

Shepard made a chopping motion with his hand across his throat for her to cease talking, "We'll make time." Miranda shook her head with aggravation; then boarded the shuttle.

Miranda turned around, not quite finished with her argument with Shepard, "Do we really have to bring the corpses with us?" Miranda whined while pointing at the dead bodies already in the shuttle.

"Shepard! Get on shuttle! Venn's condition worsens every second!" Mordin yelled.

Kal boarded the shuttle along with everyone else, he had been confused about what the Salarian had meant by 'Venn's condition', but when he saw Venn, he understood completely. Venn was a bloody mess, Urla was leaning over him saying words of comfort to him. Kal'Reegar felt the shuttle lift off as he made his way over to Venn's stagnant body and knelt down next to Urla.

"Hey, Kal." Venn murmured frailly, acknowledging Kal's arrival, "Sucks to be the hero all the time." He winced, enduring the pain coming from his chest and torso that was directly correlated with his conversing.

"You aren't giving up on me yet, you unselfish bosh'tet." Urla whispered while stroking his helmet's cheek.

"Although, it does have its perks..." Venn smiled up at Urla and tried to laugh, but what came out was an unintelligible gurgling noise. Venn frowned, "You, Gerren, and Kal were shot, you all require medical attention."

"I'm already swimming in antibiotics, don't need to worry about me." Kal reassured Venn.

"Me and Gerren are fine. Mordin injected us with immunoboosters and treated our wounds. It's you I'm worried about." Urla said to Venn, for good reason too, even though he had been stabilized by Mordin, he had lost an abundance of blood.

Saying that Venn didn't look good was simply an understatement. Kal looked up to Mordin, "Is Venn going to make it?" Kal said.

Mordin devoted another once-over to Venn, accessing his current status, "Possible. Necessary to remove suit. Already injected with immunoboosters, antibiotics. But no clean room available." Mordin said quickly, "Will need to see wounds before final answer." He cleared his throat and whispered to Tali, "Do not wish to seem inconsiderate. But, would like to take records of Quarian autonomy and on immune system from observation of Venn while in surgery. For scientific purposes, of course."

"You'd have to ask Venn." Tali said lamely, not wishing to push Venn into anything.

Venn gave Mordin a nod, "Sure, whatever Doc."

"Thank you. Very interested in Quarians. How evolved differently. Weak immune system. Communal society. Glad will have chance to do research."

After a moment of silence, "So, what's the new Normandy like, Shepard?" Tali asked, curious to see if Cerberus screwed it up somehow.

"Just wait until you see it, Tali." Shepard said with a certain sparkle in his eyes, "It's beautiful."

It was a short ride up to the Normandy SR-2, Kal stared in awe as the shuttle came up to the altitude of the sleek frigate, '_Shepard is right, it is beautiful_.' Kal thought as he gazed at the magnificence of the spaceship, drifting in orbit over the planet he never wanted to see again for the rest of his life, Haestrom.

* * *

**Aboard the Normandy:**

Mordin swiftly moved Venn out of the shuttle, where a Human doctor with silver hair was waiting. "Dr. Chakwas!" Tali said cordially, recognizing the crew member from the previous Normandy immediately.

"Ah, Tali, can we talk later?" Dr. Chakwas said as she rushed after Mordin who had just pushed two crew members out of the way in hopes to get to the elevator more quickly. If Venn weren't wounded, it would have been humorous to see that a Salarian was somehow managing to transport a fully armored Quarian by himself. Urla, Ralin, and Gerren followed Dr. Chakwas and Mordin in quick pursuit. Kal was about to run after Mordin too, but Shepard placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him back, "I need you to come up to the briefing room, you too, Tali." Kal hesitated and watched the medical group depart for a second before consenting.

Once they reached the elevator, Tali groaned at the sight of it, "I remember this elevator. Keelah, it was so slow."

They boarded the elevator and it took all of three seconds for it to reach the CIC floor. Tali's eyes widened in response, pleasantly surprised at the enhanced speed of the elevator. Shepard smiled, "Cerberus took the liberty of quickening the elevator. Obviously, they fixed some of the design flaws of the previous Normandy."

"And, they probably messed up all the upgrades I did." Tali sighed, "Looks like I'll be down in Engineering... a lot."

They walked past the unoccupied tech lab and into the debriefing room. Jacob was waiting for them, leaning on the table located inside.

Jacob stood up, approached the group, and shook the Kal and Quinn's hands. It felt... interesting to shake another's hand which had more fingers than he did. "Tali, I don't know if you remember me from Freedom's Progress, but I'm Jacob Taylor."

Jacob attempted to greet Tali as well, but Tali paced behind Shepard, visibly trying to avoid the Cerberus agent. "I assumed that you were undercover, Shepard. Maybe even planning to blow Cerberus up. If that's the case, I'll loan you a grenade. Otherwise, I'm here for you. Not for them." Tali jabbed one of her fingers at Jacob, "Cerberus threatened the security of the Migrant Fleet, so don't try to play nice with me."

Shepard spoke up, intervening between the hostilities beginning to brew, "I agree completely Tali, but Jacob isn't Cerberus, he's just a soldier like me. You shouldn't take out your anger of Cerberus on him."

Tali knew that Shepard was right, but it still felt satisfying to get that off her chest. That was what she'd wanted to say to Miranda since she left Freedom's Progress, "You may trust him, Shepard. But, I don't. Not yet anyways."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Tali." Jacob looked down at his Omni-tool, "I'll let you into the ship's systems."

"Please do." Tali replied sarcastically, "I can't fix the ship if I don't know how it works." Tali blew off the agent, "If you need me Shepard, I'll be down in Engineering." She started to leave the debriefing room.

"Be sure to introduce yourself to EDI, the ship's AI." Jacob called after her, Shepard winced. Tali turned around and gave the Cerberus soldier a death glare, piercing him with her eyes.

"Your... your ship has an AI?!" Quinn squawked. Tali left the briefing room without a single word.

Jacob remembered that Quarians had an enmity towards AI, since they inadvertently created the Geth, "Sorry." He mumbled an apology, "Kal'Reegar, we need the flotilla's current position, we'll head there right away."

"Of course... But how do you know my name?" Kal'Reegar remarked suspiciously, he hadn't seen Shepard make contact with the Normandy, and he didn't remember Shepard mentioning his name.

"Cerberus has very detailed information." Jacob stated in a monotone voice that concealed any sort of emotion, or any indication as to how Cerberus knew.

"So I see..."

"Follow me, please." Jacob led him to the galaxy map to insert the coordinates. Kal'Reegar hastily checked his omni-tool for the fleet's current whereabouts, he carefully tapped out the long string of numbers that accompanied the system in which the fleet as located. He felt the engine drive to the Normandy heat up and begin to move.

"We should be there in a few hours, other than that, make yourself comfortable."

Kal felt a welcome relief, '_Finally, heading back home_.' This relief, however, did not mend the depression that Kal was well aware of. He'd lost a very good friend on Haestrom, hell, Daala was part of Kal'Reegar's original squad, along with Quinn and Venn. '_The Rozu clan will be proud to know that Daala went down fighting a Geth Colossus.' _Kal thought of Daala's malformed corpse, '_I hope your soul is in a better place, Daala. Keelah_ _se'lai_.'

* * *

**Dr. Chakwas's Office:**

Gerren, Ralin, and Urla were standing next to Venn who was lying on one of the operating beds inside the Normandy's Medical Bay. Mordin walked over to the group huddled around the bed, "Two minutes, then surgery starts." Mordin informed the group.

Venn struggled to sit up, he had to use his elbows to prop himself up, "Hey Mordin, you were with STG, right?"

"Yes..." Mordin said with a twinge of annoyance at Venn's stubbornness as he pressed Venn's chest back against the bed.

"If I don't make it -"

"Don't say that!" Urla nudged him.

"- Send a message to Captain Kirrahe saying that I 'Held the Line!'" Venn smiled, as he remembered his friend's famous saying, but then succumbed to a series of violent coughs.

Mordin nodded, then left the group alone to their private discussion.

Once Ralin was sure Mordin had left, "Why didn't you let me save you too? I could've done it!" She said uneasily.

"You're strong Ralin," Venn said weakly, "But, not that strong. Didn't want to risk it. Better to have one dead than three."

"You're acting as if you've already given up!" Urla said angrily, "I'm not going to give up on you that easily."

Venn grinned up at her, "Thanks... For everything." Venn wheezed sincerely.

Gerren had remained quiet during the entire conversation, "You kept your promise," He said with a certain reverence towards Venn.

"Of course I did, what else am I supposed to do when a friend whispers, _Keep her safe, Venn. She means the world to me._"

Gerren felt himself blush slightly when Ralin focused her attention on him, "I don't know if it means anything to you, Venn. But, thanks for keeping Ralin safe." Gerren continued.

"Awww... The big man Gerren getting all sentimental?" Venn teased, adding a little levity to the situation.

Gerren unleashed a small grin, "Ungrateful bosh'tet." Gerren said as he gently punched Venn on the shoulder.

Mordin returned with Dr. Chakwas, "Sorry, but request you all leave. Distractions... Problematic." He swiftly forced the three Quarians outside of the Medical Bay and locked the door behind them.

The three of them headed their separate ways. Gerren had one person in particular he wanted to converse with, _'Garrus Vakarian...'_

* * *

**Forward Batteries:**

Gerren strolled into the Forward Batteries, a Turian was standing at the central console. Without turning around the Turian said, "Could you come back later? I'm in the middle of some calibrations."

"Perfect," Gerren said.

Garrus turned around and gave a thoughtful, "Hmmm... Not who I was expecting, it's Gerren, right?" Gerren gave Garrus an affirmative nod, "What is it that you want?"

"Well... thought you'd be up for a little challenge." Gerren goaded

"What sort of challenge?"

"Tali informed us that you're the_ Master Calibrator_? How'd you like to prove that?"

Garrus lifted his mandibles into a smirk, "Challenge accepted. Winner gets bragging rights."

"You're on," Gerren said,_ 'This is going to be... Interesting_.'

Garrus went over to the console and reset the system to a certain level, "We'll each have five minutes, whoever has the highest percentage will be declared the winner, you go first." Garrus stepped out of the way and Gerren approached the console.

Gerren worked fast and efficiently, furrowing his brow in concentration as his hands flew across the console. By the end of the five minutes he was thoroughly impressed with his score, "Top that." Gerren said with a competitive edge in his voice.

"If you say so." Garrus stifled a yawn.

By the three minute mark, Gerren already knew he was going to lose this bet, there seemed to be no end to the algorithms Garrus knew, he had done it so many times that he didn't need to look down once. Gerren watched in dismay as the clock hit the five minute mark, just as he had predicted, he lost by about 3.4%.

"Looks like today wasn't your lucky day." Garrus commented, fully aware of the score.

"You'd better keep up those skills, 'cause next time I'll challenge you again, the results will be _much _different." Gerren said as he departed the Forward Batteries, wishing to keep Garrus on his toes that he would be coming back for him.

"Next time, I'll be right here, waiting for you to challenge me!" Garrus called after him.

It had been entertaining while it lasted, but... Gerren wasn't about to go inciting another round unless he was sure to win, '_Next time._' He thought to himself as he poked his head into the Mess Hall, searching for some nutrient paste. He eventually found it thank to a certain Mess Sergeant Gardner. Gerren sat down at one of the nearby unoccupied tables, silently contemplating to himself about the future while gazing at the stars.

Someone sneaked up on him and quietly placed herself at the unoccupied chair to his right. After a moment of pure silence the newcomer spoke, "You...you really said that?" Ralin whispered as she shifted forward on her chair.

Gerren thought that Ralin would be angry, that he was being too overprotective of her. He found himself joyfully surprised, "Yeah, I was terrified of losing you. I can't stand to be alone again. Not after what happened in the Perseus Veil."

"What happened?" Ralin replied, listening intently.

Gerren drearily began to tell the story of his previous squad, "We were in a scouting vessel, taking readings, observations, stuff of that nature. The Geth found us." Gerren said as hard as steel, "It was a squadron of fighters that attacked us. I saw Eri and Zekke get sucked out into space before the containment shields and emergency bulkheads could be activated. I made it up to the bridge, Kazak was in the pilots' seat, hunched over the console, dead. I took control, evaded the fighters, and quickly made a jump to FTL. The Geth didn't follow us, I thought it was a miracle. I sent out a distress signal, after which I tried to comm Teryn, our squad leader, and Pax. I tried to contact them for thirty minutes. Nothing can prepare you for being the last survivor of your squad." Gerren's eyes were tearing up underneath his helmet, "I seriously considered suicide; survivor's guilt is a bitch."

"Gerren, I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Ralin said compassionately, it was moments like this when she had a desperate urge to comfort him, to just be with him, to tell him that everything was going to turn out alright. It pained her to see him in such state.

"You're the first person I've ever shared... that with." Gerren muttered. He felt a burden lift off him, he needed to tell somebody that, about his feelings.

"At least some good came out of it." Ralin said after a moment of thought.

'_What good could possibly come out of my squad dying?'_ Gerren was vexed, "Oh? And what might that be?"

Ralin leaned in closer to Gerren and uttered a single word into his audio receptor, "Us."

'_She really can find some good in any situation,_' Ralin pulled away from Gerren until they were face to face, their eyes locked, and he stared deeply into his Inszel's* green as emerald eyes; it was a moment of pure bliss, "Ralin, I feel as if I could share anything with you and you'd understand, hell, you found some good in my worst experience." Gerren said with great passion towards his Inszel, he caressed her affectionately. "That's why I love you. You complete me."

"Gerren, if you ever need to get something off your mind, don't hesitate to tell me. I want you to know that I love and care for you as deeply and as passionately as you do for me." Ralin cuddled with him, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, "I love you Gerren and I'll always be right by your side, no matter what happens."

Words alone could not describe the bond that they shared for one another. Technically, with that declaration of love for one another, they entered the Felz'tiyl*. Although, that was the last of either's concerns as they gazed into each other's eyes, and out into the void of space, contemplating the future with their Inszel.

* * *

**Tali'Zorah - Engineering:**

She entered Engineering, unsure what to expect. There were two Cerberus Engineers, but other than that, the place was abandoned. The male of the two smiled at her as Tali entered, then quickly turned back to his console. Tali tried to log into the console, but there was a strange error popping up that was due to a continuous looping program. She stared at the screen, '_Well, already on my first error. That's always a good sign._' She got to work. It took her 5 minutes to fix the problem, which as it turned out, the program would reset itself if the console was reset.

When she figured out the solution, the male Cerberus Engineer came over with a slight smile on his face, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to get the obvious solution, the name's Ken O'Donnelly." Ken said in a thick accent.

"And I'm Gabby." The female Cerberus Engineer added, but didn't look up from her console.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya vas Neema, quite a clever prank program you got there."

"Thanks, I..." Ken was interrupted by the sound of the door opening unexpectedly, Quinn strolled inside and took in the engine room, "This ship is a marvel of modern technology!" Quinn said in a cheerful tone.

Gabby looked up from her console,"I thought we were only bringing one Quarian Engineer." She said as she inspected the newcomer.

"We're taking the remainders of Kal'Reegar's squad to the Migrant Fleet."

"I'm... Quinn'Zeeda vas Derrna," Quinn seemed to physically shrink back as he saw the two Cerberus Engineers.

"Ah, Do you want a rundown of all the Engineering Systems? Cerberus may be a bunch of fanatics, but they sure know how to build a ship." Ken offered politely.

"I...Um..." Quinn stuttered.

"What he means is yes, we'd love one." Tali said for Quinn, Ken spent about an hour going through the technology that was jam-packed into this beast of a frigate. '_Shepard was right, it is beautiful. Not only on the exterior, but the interior as well.' _Tali quietly sighed, '_Now, if only he could see me without the suit, to see who I really am, maybe then he could see my feelings for him...If only...' _

* * *

**A Few Hours Later:**

Tali was diligently working on recreating the necessary upgrades that she had created for the previous Normandy which could benefit the Normandy SR-2. That was until she heard footsteps approaching her from behind and soon after someone tapped her on her shoulder, "I swear Ken, if you talk about my 'skin-tight suit' or my 'mighty fine ass' one more time..." Tali turned around, it was Shepard standing behind her. "Oh, sorry Shepard." Tali's cheeks turned a slightly darker shade as she blushed and couldn't help but think to herself, '_Keelah, I really had to run my mouth in front of Shepard, didn't I?_' She sighed inwardly, too late now, "Something you need?"

"We didn't get a lot of time to talk on Freedom's Progress, or on Haestrom, we have a few minutes so... Let's catch up."

Tali gazed over at Quinn who was inspecting a nearby console, he was trying his best to make it look like he was completely focused on it. But, she could tell by the angle of his head that Quinn was actually listening in on their conversation, "Alright," Tali said as she indicated with her hand for him to follow her, she stopped when she reached the Engine room, where she turned around to face him, "What do you want to know?"

"Having any trouble adjusting back to the Normandy?"

"I like the quiet. I miss the old faces, Pressly, Engineer Adams, all of them." She began to nervously dry-wash her hands, "Are you sure it's a good idea to have Cerberus in control of the ship?"

"I fully expect Cerberus to betray us at some point. But, we'll be ready in the case that they do." Shepard said, confidant in his abilities.

"Is there anyone I steer stay clear of? Or meet?"

"Zaeed Massani is ruthless, but he seems in control of himself most of time. Grunt... I wouldn't mess with him unless I had to." Listing off the one's that Tali shouldn't accompany herself with, "You and Kasumi would probably hit it off; You already know Garrus; Mordin is interesting to talk to, assuming you can understand him.

"I see that you're still carrying around that shotgun," Shepard said casually as he pointed to the M-27 Scimitar strapped across Tali's back, attempting to make small talk away from the issue of Cerberus.

"Yea, I was offered an upgraded version, but I declined. This old shotgun reminds me of the previous Normandy, on all those missions we went on, especially Virmire." Tali said softly, her voice chock-full of emotions. Shepard winced at the word, 'Virmire,' a lot of painful memories had occurred there, where he had to sacrifice Ashley, who was assigned to arming the bomb, to rescue Kaidan, who was augmenting Captain Kirrahe's squad.

It was Tali's turn to ask a question, "What was it like... Being dead?" Quite a depressing matter, but she was interested, as he was the only person that survived death.

"There isn't much to talk about really, I was brain dead for a year and ten months." Shepard said uneasily, he began to squirm uncomfortably. Tali was vexed, Shepard was never nervous, even while under fire, she didn't understand why he would be now, "Um... Are you in a relationship with Kal'Reegar?" Shepard blurted out loudly, attracting the attention of the two Cerberus Engineers and Quinn.

Tali stood there visibly taken back, "Keelah, no Shepard, we're just friends."

"I feel happy for the two... Wait, what?" Obviously not the answer he was expecting. He recovered from his initial shock and sighed with relief, apparently that had been pent up inside of him, "But I thought- On Haestrom you-" Shepard slapped his forehead with his hand, "Now look who's rambling. If that's the case I have something to tell you."

He never got around to expressing whatever it was that he was going to say, because Joker's voice came over the intercom, perfect timing as always. "Commander, the Migrant Fleet is requesting some kinda' code, could you and Tali come up to the Bridge?"

Shepard scowled, irritated to be interrupted during the middle of a 'moment', "We'll be right there." He said to Joker through his Omni-tool, he severed the link and faced Tali, "Can we talk about this later?"

"Yea... sure." Tali scanned him curiously, confused over what the big deal was, and how it involved what kind of relationship she had with Reegar. They hurried onto the Elevator together and headed up to the CIC.

* * *

_*Inszel - Trusted confidant or partner, similar to girlfriend/boyfriend._

_*Felz'tiyl - Third stage of Quarian bonding_**.**

**W****hew! What a chapter! So now it's on to the Migrant Fleet!**

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I'm only going to include some of the squad mates in conversations, as including all of them would be too time consuming.**

**Disclaimer(2): I felt my eyes water when I was writing the Gerren/Ralin part on the Normandy. Very emotional, adds a lot more character depth to Gerren and Ralin especially. **

**"Ah yes, 'Everyone will survive the suicide mission.' We have dismissed that claim."**


	8. Chapter Seven: Home

**I just want to say how thankful I am that this has been met with so much support and how grateful I am for it. It's what keeps me writing chapters. **

Chapter 7: Home

**Venn'Ryaan:**

The world was black; a dark abyss. He awoke, suddenly conscious of his surroundings; The murmur of voices around him; the sensation of cold against his torso and upper chest. When anyone finds themselves in a similar position, most of the time they panic as they try to remember how they got themselves into said position. Venn felt the sharp feeling of pain as his nervous system came to life. He winced in agony and cracked open his eyes, a blinding light was directly over him, he averted his eyes from it and lolled his head to the right. He could see that his shoulder was uncovered, along with his upper chest and torso, his pale purple skin seemingly illuminating the area around him due to the reflection of the light. He could see his Faysakt*, the dark lines that traced all over his skin. He could feel the fabric of the bed he was laying on, there was no suit to muffle his sensations. He opened his lips slightly and let out a small groan, his eyes focused on a vial of water which had a tinge of red, blood. He concentrated on the metallic objects resting at the bottom, '_Shrapnel_.'

His head was suddenly jerked to the left by a reddish hand and he found himself staring at a Salarian who was thoroughly examining him. "Dr. Chakwas! Sedative! Now!" His voice was completely distorted, and it looked as if he was in more places than one. Venn tried to talk, but all that came out was a low moan. He felt something jab him in his right shoulder, his muscles remained rigid briefly, then his body began to lose its tension as the sedative took hold. He embraced the darkness as his mind once again fell into the dark abyss of his unconscious mind.

* * *

**Tali'Zorah/Kal'Reegar:**

Tali and a now armored Shepard hurriedly approached Joker's seat. Kal'Reegar was already waiting besides it, gazing off into the massive armada of ships serenely drifting through space. Tali stopped once she reached Joker's side, she turned to him, "Open a comm to them."

"Aye, aye." Joker said as he tapped several buttons on the Pilot's console, "Communications established."

"This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya vas Neema along with Kal'Reegar nar Saera vas Moreh, requesting permission to dock on the _Alarei_."

After a second of static, "We have identified your ship as Cerberus. Verify." Came the traffic controller's guttural response. It was to be expected that fleet would be weary of any Cerberus ships, they could almost be considered enemies given their recent history with one another.

Tali frowned, she did not recognize the voice. On a hunch she quickly checked from which ship the signal was broadcasting from, it was the _Rayya_, "After time adrift among open stars, through tides of light and through shoals of dust. I will return to where I began." She didn't mind whether Shepard or Joker knew the code to get into the Migrant Fleet, Cerberus already knew it judging from the attack on the _Idenna_, it would not matter whether they heard it again or not. "We require a team to meet us, our ship is not clean." Tali glanced over at Kal, "We also need medical teams; we have wounded and dead Quarians who need transportation."

"You are cleared to dock on the_ Rayya_, The Admiralty Board wishes to see you. Break off course from the _Alarei_, it is off limits for the time being. Welcome home Tali'Zorah vas Neema and Kal'Reegar vas Moreh. Keelah se'lai." The traffic controllers voice was significantly more friendly towards the group now that they had confirmed that they weren't Cerberus. Well, at least not all of them were Cerberus. Finally, her mind registered what the traffic controller was saying.

Tali got over her initial shock and practically jumped forward, "Wait! Why -?" She desperately asked as she leaned over the control board, It was too late, the signal had already been cut off. Tali gazed off into empty space for a short while still leaning over the console, "The _Alarei_ is my father's ship." She grimly informed Shepard, "I can think of several reasons why they would prevent landing on a ship; none of them good."

Joker obliged to the traffic controller's demands and changed course to the _Rayya_. Tali felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure everything is going to be okay." Shepard reassured her.

Tali glanced back over her shoulder at Shepard then turned back solemnly towards the _Rayya_, which they were approaching. "I hope you're right Shepard... I really do."

There were no further interruptions on their journey as they approached the _Rayya_. The squad had heard Joker mention over the comm that they were approaching the flotilla, and were now waiting patiently by the airlock door. Kal'Reegar glanced over at Ralin and Gerren, who were holding hands, something they seemed to be doing more often in light of recent events. As they docked with the _Rayya_ a loud noise of metal hitting metal was heard as the docking clamps grabbed hold of the Normandy. Shepard opened the inner airlock doors, which abruptly closed after Kal'Reegar, Tali, and the squad entered within seconds of when Shepard did. "Alright," Shepard turned toward Kal'Reegar and the squad, "Kal'Reegar, this might become a very interesting trip. We need to get to the bottom of what's going on at the _Alarei_, for Tali's sake." He said while placing his helmet on his head, it snapped into place with his armor.

Kal'Reegar nodded, "Of course, I'm just as intrigued as you are. We haven't received much in the way of information from the fleet while we were stationed on Haestrom. Solar radiation made it too damn difficult."

The outer airlock door opened, and the familiar filtered scent had a calming effect on Tali. This was her birthship, all Quarians viewed the crew of the birthship as their relatives. This is the reason why mating with a member of the same birthship is generally frowned upon; it's the equivalent of mating with a cousin, in other words; incest. In order to keep genetic diversity, it is required that a Quarian chose a ship to serve on, other than their birthship. '_I'm home_.'

The first person she saw who was waiting right outside the airlock door was the welcoming helmet of Captain Kar'Daana vas Rayya, who was positively ecstatic that Tali had arrived back on her birthship. He briefly embraced her, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, it's so wonderful that you could come back home. Admiral Shala'Raan and the rest of the Admiralty Board are in the main plaza, waiting for you." The Quarian medical team entered the ship and soon came back carrying a now suited Venn on a gurney along with a suited Mordin in pursuit. Kal'Reegar noticed that Urla broke off from the main squad to follow Mordin and the medical team. Kar'Danna bowed his head in reverence as the six dead Quarians were brought out soon after Venn. "May the Ancestors keep you and guide you." He mumbled. He indicated for everyone to follow him to the Plaza.

During this time, Tali felt her eyes wander, scanning the contours and the differences that had occurred on her birthship since she left on that faithful day for her pilgrimage. She remembered the ship as if it were only yesterday. The ship had changed little, the inner corridors were still the enclosing barriers that she has felt claustrophobic around when she was a child.

Then the pain of grief hit her as her mind switched towards a more agonizing subject that was elicited by these memories of the _Rayya_; mother. It hit her as hard as it had on the day her father entered her quarters, hanging his head with distraught, bearing grim news that her mother had passed away from an infection. Her mother had always been there for her, as Rael'Zorah was often not present or was always busy. Tali had been torn apart by her loss. Tali turned a hard eye to the ship once she had adequately relived that painful memory, she could suddenly recall why she had been so happy to leave her quarters on the _Rayya_ and explore the unknown in the first place, because of that particular memory. Her Pilgrimage, save for her early childhood, was probably the happiest moment of her life, and undoubtedly the most thrilling. She'd lost friends on her pilgrimage, and that was one of the first times she'd ever been terrified for her life; running from Fist's thugs on the Citadel, getting shot, and such. '_But..._' Tali thought as her eyes drifted to Shepard, the alien who she had immediately formed a crush on after he had heroically rescued her,_ 'I don't regret a_ _single thing.'_ She declared silently with a slight smile.

Kal'Reegar, while in the middle of the trip, realized something and almost froze in his tracks, '_Captain Kar'Danna called Tali 'vas Normandy._' Kal glanced over at Tali, she was acting like her normal self, she hadn't noticed the difference yet. '_This can't be good._'

A female Quarian which Tali had no trouble recognizing was waiting by the door which lead into the main Plaza. Kar'Danna looked between the two Quarians, "Tali, meet the Admirals inside once you're finished. Kal'Reegar, come with me." Kal'Reegar plus team followed Kar'Danna inside.

Kal'Reegar heard Tali exclaim, "Auntie Raan!" Before he exited hearing range. The garden plaza was impressive, to say the least, it was a large room, probably the most spacious on the whole ship, the most decorated, and had ornate plants with some ancient Khelish writing all over the walls of the plaza. There was not a single Quarian inside the garden plaza with the exception of the three Admirals, two of which were having an altercation inside the room, their voices echoed as the two shouted at each other in frustrated tones. '_Strange... A ship this size should have at least four hundred crew members...'_

Admiral Zaal'Koris was in one of his legendary disputes with Han'Gerrel. Daro'Xen was seated a little further away, amusing herself with their constant bickering. "We _need_ to destroy the _Alarei,_ Han'Gerrel. Something terrible has happened, and unless you want to endanger the rest of the fleet, I suggest you consent!"

"Rael is the_ head _of the Admiralty Board, we have to save the _Alarei_!" Han'Gerrel prodded Zaal in the chest to prove his point, "You and your damn cowardice Zaal, rather destroy a problem then grow a pair."

'_If Daala were here, she'd give her traditional 'of-course' sigh. Just as I expected, something is up with the Alarei._' He noticed that Daro'Xen was beckoning for him to take a seat next to her. Kar'Daana said a hasty goodbye and left Kal to his business with the Admirals.

Once Kal sat down she began to speak, "So, Kal'Reegar, was your mission a success? Did you get the research?" She inquired in her renowned nonchalant manner.

"Well..." He started off slowly, "We got the data, but I wouldn't call it a success; six Quarians are dead and one has been moved to the emergency medical facilities on the _Rayya_."

Daro pursed her lips, "That's unfortunate. The one who's wounded is Venn right?" Kal'Reegar nodded, "Hmfh! Serves him right, that bosh'tet got what he deserved." She said with a tinge of animosity, she had not yet forgiven Venn for destroying one of her prized 'toys'.

Kal'Reegar bit his lip in order to keep himself from defending Venn from his captain. "What's all this about, what happened to the _Alarei_?"

Daro once again pursed her lips and looked off in the distance at Zaal and Han, "Thirty minutes ago the _Alarei_ sent a distress signal, which was quickly cut off. Since then we've received no communications with the _Alarei_, it is not responding to any of our hails."

Kal'Reegar's eyes widened in response, "The entire ship stopped communicating? Any ideas as to how?"

Daro looked suspiciously at Kal before turning back towards the arguing Admirals, "Yes. The Geth." She said cautiously.

If Kal'Reegar had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to how shocked he was now, "Geth? Here? In the Migrant Fleet?! How?" He unleashed a long string of questions in response to this news. It also enraged him that the Geth would have the gall to attack the Fleet, he did his best to keep his voice level to conceal his fury.

Daro accusingly squinted at him, she knew how they got on the Alarei, "Tali. She was transporting the Geth parts you scavenged from Haestrom to her father from right under your incompetent nose." Daro declared, her voice was icy cold, she didn't take incompetence, especially with one of her own crew, very well. "Tali has been indicted for treason and lost her position on the _Neema_. We received your message that she was going to joining the _Normandy's_ crew, so that seemed like an appropriate ship name to replace the _Neema_ with. Pray I do not indict you as well for your ineptitude." She said bitterly.

Kal'Reegar's jaw dropped in astonishment, "You indicted the Quarian who fought against Saren and his Geth followers?! How could you?" He gritted his teeth together, then an idea sprang to mind, "What if we take back the _Alarei_?" Kal said while trying to keep desperation out of his voice.

Zaal swiveled his head towards the two, disengaged from his debate with Han, and approached the seated Quarians, "And just how do you propose you go about doing that?" He inquired with indignation towards the very idea.

"Me, my squad, and Shepard, if he is willing to help, can take back the ship."

"Your endangering more lives for something we could just as easily do away with!" Zaal replied, irritated at the fact that Kal was willing to risk more Quarian lives.

Han'Gerrel had silently been watching from the sidelines, "We should give them a chance, if they think they can take back the ship, why not let them?." He commented with a shrug.

"I concur," Daro spoke up, "All in favor of retaking the _Alarei_?" Zaal was the only one opposed, he stormed away, muttering to himself under his breath.

With Zaal no longer present, "If you retake the _Alarei_, we'll make sure that Tali's name is cleared of the charges." Han'Gerrel promised, "Good luck. Keelah se'lai."

Kal'Reegar stood up and began walking towards the entrance of the main plaza with one thought in mind; recruit Shepard onto the mission of retaking the _Alarei_, when Daro suddenly called out, "Oh yes. Almost forgot to mention that Urla'Zelzah vas Idenna will now be a permanent member of your squad, all the necessary arrangements have been made."

Kal'Reegar realized that he hadn't know what ship Urla was a part of, '_The Idenna?!'_ He acutely remembered the oath he had sworn that he would pay back Cerberus for what they had done to the _Idenna, _as well as for the danger they put the fleet through. '_Shepard isn't Cerberus though... he just works for them, I think._' He processed this information carefully and maintained walking until he found Tali and Shepard, still talking with Admiral Raan, but now Tali was a nervous wreck. "Kal'Reegar what's going on?" Tali said with fear as she noticed Kal's approach, "Aunti- Admiral Raan informed me that I've been indicted for treason, what happened to the _Alarei_?" She began to anxiously dry-wash her hands, after a few seconds of doing said action she abruptly stopped and silently berated herself. '_Keelah, not in front of Shepard..._' She considered with a quick glance towards Shepard, he didn't appear to have any reaction whatsoever. The dry-washing was a habit that she'd been trying to break for months now, but such attempts have yet to produce a result.

"The Geth have taken over the _Alarei_. In order to prevent the charge of treason, we need to retake the _Alarei_." Kal'Reegar turned to Shepard, "Do you think you could help us? My squad will also be ready to assist."

_'The Geth parts I sent... but there's no way any of that could have activated, I checked everything... I think I did at least_.' Tali (thought) doubtfully. Shepard's eyes darted between Tali and Kal'Reegar, "Shepard, we have to take back the _Alarei_. I _need_ to know what happened to my father." Tali pleaded.

"How soon can a shuttle be ready?" Shepard asked Kal, committing himself to the mission.

Kal'Reegar grinned under his helmet, '_That was easier than I thought it would be._' He thought it would take some convincing to get Shepard to give them his support. '_I mean why should he help us? Most aliens __would laugh in our faces if we'd asked the_ _same question._' Shepard was different, he seemed more than happy to answer the call to duty, as if it was something he should do, as if it was second nature for him to aide a crew mate in need, even if Tali was a Quarian. "Meet me by the Rayya's shuttle bay in five minutes. I just need to get my squad together and then we'll head out." He performed an about face and hastily began to search for his squad.

* * *

**Urla'Zelzah:**

She waited impatiently by the door to a clean room for some news... Any news. She had left the Squad and followed the gurney, with which they had transported Venn'Ryaan into the Medical Clean Rooms.

The door hissed open with a Quarian Doctor and Mordin striding side by side, engaged in conversation. She anxiously approached them, "Well...?"

The Quarian Doctor gave her a straight face, which wasn't very difficult from behind a visor, "He should return to full functionality, but he'll be bedridden for months, and it is still a question if he'll ever be able to pilot again."

"Important thing is that Venn is alive." Mordin said when Urla's head began to droop, "Might not have made it without Normandy's medical facilities, glad to have been able to help." Mordin began to walk through the corridors back to the Normandy.

Urla watched him leave then turned back to the doctor, "Is he... could I-?"

"Talk to him?" The doctor finished for her, "Yes, he's conscious at the moment, but I recommend you limit exposure, he will still be without his suit until we can access his condition further."

Urla walked in anyway and was immediately taken back by the sight. Venn was sitting upright on the gurney, with his torso, chest and head uncovered. Urla had to admit, as she inspected him, Venn was quite attractive, even if she hasn't seen another male Quarian's face for comparison(Excluding her Father.) He had a pale-purple complexion as opposed to the regular pasty-greyish white color of most Quarians. His hair was a sort of brownish-red color, the color of rust. she found her eyes tracing the Faysakt lines that traced all over his body. Then, she examined his chest more closely and instinctively winced, there were dozens, if not hundreds, of intersecting small scars, along with several ones that were at least seven centimeters in length, '_Must've hurt like hell._'

"See something you like?" Venn said faintly with a small smile as he noticed her appreciating his uncovered body. His smile was nearly perfect, he had sparkling white teeth. Urla blushed, it wasn't often one got to see another Quarian's skin, especially if the Quarian in question was of the opposite gender. In fact the only few times one would see another Quarian's skin would be if one was a doctor or one was about to have sex.

"Oh...Um... Are you feeling better?"

Venn raised one of his eyebrows in a bemused expression, "I just took an explosion to the chest... Do you think I'm feeling better?" Venn said with a weak chuckle as to indicate that he was being facetious. Urla had never realized due to spending so much time in a suit, that facial expressions made things much easier.

"I'm being serious.","You do realize that you might never be able to fly again?"

Venn's smile faltered for a second, "I know. But enough about me, what about you? Psychologically, I mean."

'_I just lost my entire squad... Do you think I'm feeling better?_' Urla thought, mimicking how Venn had replied to her. But instead, she said, "about what?" Even though she already knew.

"You know what I mean. Losing your entire squad would've definitely had an impact." After a moment, "You know what, you should talk to Gerren, he knows precisely what you're going through."

"How can anyone possibly know what I'm going through?" Urla snapped back aggressively.

Venn's smiled faded and he bowed his head solemnly, "He lost everyone he had grown close to when we found him in the Perseus Veil. He never talked about it, but I can tell that he was traumatized by the whole ordeal. Kinda' glad he has Ralin now to look out for him."

"Oh." Urla said dumbly, she made a mental note to herself to take Venn's advice to talk to Gerren later, "Well, surely you must have some stories to tell."

Venn reflected on her request for a moment, then another smile began to creep up on his face, "I got it." He patted an area on the gurney close to his legs meaning for Urla to take a seat, which, after only a second of hesitation, she did. "Did I tell you how I know Captain Kirrahe?" Urla shook her head, "Well, how we met is quite an... intriguing tale." Venn cleared his throat, "So, after I was exiled for the shuttle incident I went to the Afterlife Bar on Omega, attempting to drown out my concerns with a bit of Turian Brandy. Maybe find some work there for a pilot. So I went to the front of the bar and sat down, right? Next to the most hammered Salarian I'd ever laid my eyes on. His lips were already loose from drink and I assumed he was a regular here. You can imagine my surprise when he muttered through his drunken stupor that he was part of STG, more specifically, the Salarian who helped Commander Shepard take out that cloning facility on Virmire."

"So," Venn continued, "I started spewing questions at him, he could hardly answer them. When it was finally time to go, he asked me to escort him back to his apartment." Venn chuckled softly, "The bosh'tet could hardly stand. So, after I spent 30 minutes dragging him down to his apartment, he said to come by tomorrow when he wasn't full of drink. I did, if I remember correctly, I spent the whole day there. He was quite... entertaining to talk to."

"Hm... I'd never expect Kirrahe to be the type to do that." Urla said thoughtfully.

"Me neither, but, there he was." He said with a shrug.

Urla stood up, "I'll check up on you later, okay?"

"Yea, sure." Venn mumbled. Urla hastily departed, but she could feel Venn's eyes fixated on her back the entire way out.

* * *

**Kal'Reegar:**

He found Ralin, Gerren, and Quinn quickly and easily. They were the only ones, other than the Admirals, inside the Main Plaza at the time. After a few short minutes of explaining the situation to his squad and telling them of their newest Squad member, the group made its way over to shuttle bay, but not before stopping at the _Rayya's_ armory and picking up a few assault rifles, other assorted weapons, and topping off their supply of thermal clips.

Gerren cleared his throat after they left the Armory, "I think Urla went to the Medical Clean Rooms." He said when he saw that Kal'Reegar seemed to be forgetting their newest squad member.

Kal'Reegar looked back, "Urla isn't in the right mindset to go on another mission just yet, I know I wouldn't be if I just lost my entire squad." He explained.

Gerren seemed to tense at his words, 'lost my entire squad.' Kal'Reegar silently chastised himself for forgetting that Gerren knew exactly what Urla was going through. The rest of the walk was enacted in complete silence.

They boarded the shuttle, two minutes later than what Kal'Reegar had originally said. Tali and Shepard were already there, they didn't say anything as Kal'Reegar sat down next to Shepard and checked the clip on his assault rifle, it was fully loaded. They soon felt the shuttle lift off, transporting the group to the _Alarei_. Kal'Reegar found his eyes drawn to the dark, looming ship. '_Payback time._'

* * *

_Faysakt: Areas on Quarian skin that appear to be fine, black-colored lines. They are found on the forehead, neck, arms, legs, and torso in various patters, but always exhibiting bilateral symmetry. These 'lines' are nothing more than sensitive skin tissue with a high concentration of specialized microscopic glands, similar to sebaceous glands in a human, which not only help collect pollen and microorganisms, but also encourage their introduction into what passes for a Quarian immune system._

** I already have a pretty good idea on what will happen in the next chapter, there will be another break off from the main story. Several, in fact.**

**Also I want to use this chapter to tell you some things, this Fan fiction will cover the entirety of events that takes place with the Quarians between ME2 and ME3. Some of the plot twists I've contrived... Will be interesting to write. Well, thanks for taking the time to reading this chapter, all support is greatly appreciated.**

**Last thing: Me and some RPers/writers have come up with a Quarian appearance/Khelish Dictionary, which is canonical and I'm sure will satisfy most of you. (Most of the dictionary was either made by me, or used from existing fan-fics) This is located on my Profile Page. Please PM me if you have anything to add/contribute to the list. **


	9. Chapter Eight: Forgiven

**Well, this is a shorter chapter than the previous few I've written, but just as powerful, enjoy as always! I'll try to put out another chapter by the end of the week.**

Beta-Read by fallenangel8794 - 8/2/13

Chapter 8: Forgiven

**The Alarei:**

'_It's quiet... Too quiet._' Kal thought, his entire body was tense, prepared to fire at whatever danger that could befall upon the group. He held his Vindicator up to eye level directly in front of him, scanning the area for any hostile forces, namely the Geth. Seeing the way was clear, he urged the group forward. They slowly paced down the silent hallway of the _Alarei_, silent, except for the sound of footsteps generated by the group. Shepard and Tali were leading the pack, and they were closely followed by Kal'Reegar and the squad. Most of the consoles were still activated, but had no crewmen to man them. Although, there were some scorch marks of plasma burns near the consoles and they had run into a patch of bright red blood on a wall.

Then, an almost inaudible synthetic noise sounded off. Ralin looked around; her M-27 Scimitar followed her sweeping gaze as she checked the area out infront of them, and then did the same behind the group. "Is it just me, or did I just hear something?" She whispered while watching the group's back.

Gerren frowned, "Yea, I hear-"

Plasma shots rang out in the distance. The group tensed and stopped to listen. More plasma shots, except these were notably louder. Whatever, or whoever, was producing them was getting closer. Shortly thereafter, a series of rapidly approaching footsteps emanated from a nearby corridor, "Help!" A female voice wailed from the same corridor.

The group wasted no time in running towards the source of the voice; they came across a corridor with two Quarians at the far end of the hall running towards them... One male and one female, the female was leading the male and had gripped his hand, both were unarmed. Kal'Reegar looked beyond the Quarians to see what they were hastily attempting to flee from. Three silvery shapes of Geth Troopers, which had brought up their assault rifles to bear, began to fire at the couple.

"GETH!" Kal'Reegar yelled as he raised his Vindicator to aim down the sight and began pouring fire towards the Geth.

"Agh! Bosh'tet!" Yelled the male as he got hit in the back of the leg and tripped. Gerren and Ralin, seeing the couple, began to rush the Geth who were approaching the downed male and the female, who was still trying to drag his body away from danger.

Kal'Reegar felt the jolt of each of his shots and was rewarded with the splattering of white hydraulic fluid all across the walls as a Geth collapsed with an electronic shriek. Ralin blasted one through the chest; it was still active and stumbled back. Ralin calmly approached it as she cocked the shotgun again and shot it again and again until it fell, white blood seeping onto the metal ground.

Gerren advanced on the last Geth, which had misplaced its rifle after it had been shot in the shoulder. Gerren pulled out his combat knife and twirled it menacingly in his right hand. The Geth swung its arm at him. Gerren ducked underneath the arm with ease and, with all his strength, plunged the knife into the 'throat' of the Geth. The Geth fizzled for a second before deactivating. With a sickening liquid sound Gerren extracted his knife and the Geth collapsed with a metal clank as it hit the ground.

Gerren's eyes widened in surprise as he saw something that was waiting right behind where the Geth Trooper had previously stood, a shimmering body of light. "Oh, shi-" Gerren said in shock as he tried to dodge the melee attack. Too slow. It smacked him across the helmet with the back of its strong elbow and he landed on his back. Gerren's knife skittered away from him as the Geth Hunter decloaked and activated its Omni-tool bayonet, intent on going for the kill this time. Gerren's mind was numb as he went through his options and tried to scoot away from the Geth, but to no avail. The Geth Hunter prepared the shotgun like a spear and Gerren's heart was beating faster than the speed of light. Gerren closed his eyes, '_Keelah se'lai._' The sound of metal striking metal was heard, followed by a short shriek.

(Time skip to Ralin - 1 minute ago.)

Having finished off her Geth Trooper, she noticed two more rounding the corner. She finished both of them off with ease, one flying back with a well-placed shotgun blast, the other she placed a stasis field around and Shepard took it out with his M-97 Viper. She then looked over to see how Gerren was faring against the Geth. She saw that he had killed the one Geth Trooper, but now a Geth Hunter had just attacked him and managed to disarm him. Ralin silently pulled out her knife out of its sheath on her right leg as she crept up behind the Hunter. Right when the Hunter was about to plunge its blade into Gerren, she raised the knife over her head and violently struck into the back of its metal head with a metal striking metal noise. The Geth let out a cutoff shriek as it fell forwards. Gerren rolled out of the way of the falling entity. Ralin walked over to where Gerren laid and extended her hand down to him, "I'm not losing you that easily, Gerren." Gerren graciously took her hand and she helped him back up to his feet.

He found himself repeating what he had said on Haestrom, "What... would I do... without you?" He said dotingly in between breaths and then he took in several deep breaths in order to calm himself, afterwards, he went to go retrieve his traitorous blade from the ground that had abandoned him at his time of need.

Shortly after he retrieved his blade, Ralin spun him around until he was facing her and brought him close to her. "Good thing you don't have to worry about that, eh?" She pressed her visor against his in a Quarian kiss.

"I wouldn't prefer for anyone else to watch my back, except you."

"I'll always have your back, Gerren... Until I die."

Gerren's eyes opened wide with surprise, "Until you die? Someone only says that if..."

"Yes, Gerren." She stared undauntedly into his eyes, concealed by his black visor, "Will you take me to be _ta'saera_*?" She whispered solemnly.

Gerren was at a loss for words, "I... I... Yes! I'd like that more than anything in the whole galaxy!" He exclaimed eagerly, which prompted a curious glance from Kal'Reegar at the now embracing couple, but he said nothing. Gerren affectionately stroked the side of her helmet, wishing that he could once again feel her skin.

"Thank...thank you." Came a female's voice from behind the embracing Gerren and Ralin. "I don't even want to think what would've happened to me or my mate if you all hadn't shown up."

"It's our duty as a Migrant Fleet Marine," Ralin replied cordially as she broke off the embrace, bent down to the Geth Hunter's corpse, and extracted her knife, "Glad we could help."

"No problem," Gerren said a little shakily, undoubtedly from his near brush with death, directed at the couple, "We're looking for Admiral Zorah, know where he is?"

"Yes..." She replied hesitantly, the rest of the group clustered around the wounded male and the supporting female. "He's just down that hall; where we came from." She pointed down the hall. "Can't miss 'em, with Geth shooting at the door he's barricaded himself in, who could?"

"Let's go." Tali turned to the group after receiving this information, eager to find her father.

The remainder of the group began to follow Tali, "I wish you the best of luck!" The female quarian yelled at them, "You two especially... with everything." She said specifically to Gerren and Ralin with a knowing smile. "Keelah se'lai!"

They rounded a corner and Tali finally got her bearings, they were heading towards Rael's quarters, evidently that is where he was making his stand. An increasing amount of plasma burns and Quarian and Geth bodies were present in the hallway as they continued to advance. Tali saw one Quarian body that had slumped over directly ahead of them, he'd been shot at least 7 times at point blank range, with red blood splattered against the wall directly behind him. Tali shuddered, it was instances like this she was glad that her people had to wear enviro-suits; she didn't have to see the grotesque features of the dead. Tali's pace quickened, she paid more attention to what was ahead of her now, and tried her best to ignore the bodies of the fallen. It only took a minute for them to reach the door to Admiral Zorah's quarters. The few Geth that were attacking the door fell easily under the concentrated fire of the much larger group. With the Geth forces obliterated, Tali ran up to the door in a rush and began hacking through the locked door as quickly as he two fingers and thumb would allow. The squad and Shepard took up positions on either side of the door.

The door slid open before she was finished hacking it and the sounds of an inserted thermal clip lingered in the air, "TALI, move!" Shepard yelled at her as he swiftly pulled her over to safety, his warning and movement came a little too late. Two bullets streaked past, the second bullet missed completely; however, the first bullet grazed Tali's right shoulder, barely missing the skin but cutting a portion of the suit wide open, leaving her white-gray skin for all to see.

"Bosh'tet!" She clutched the area of the suit over her exposed shoulder and made a mental note to herself, _'Well, need to check that when I get back to the Normandy._' She then realized just how close she and Shepard were, she felt the heat of his body warming her and the tense, strong muscles on his arm situated protectively around her neck as she was pressed up against him. "Thanks, Shepard, but, ah, could you let go of me?" She said with pauses while trying to keep from sounding totally awkward.

Shepard mumbled an apology and hastily obliged to her request.

"Hey! Are you blind?!" Kal'Reegar yelled loudly enough for anyone inside to hear. "Friendlies!" He shouted as he waved his hand in the entrance in order to prove his point.

"Come inside." A voice wheezed soon after. Tali's heart sank, she knew that voice by memory, she'd heard it spoken throughout most of her life. She mentally counted to three, braced herself for what was to come, and peeked inside. There were six Quarians; two lay unmoving on the ground, their suits scorched with plasma burns; one was propped up against the wall with another tending to him; the last two were wielding their assault rifles menacingly at the group, but quickly lowered their guns once they saw Tali. There were a few dead Geth around the door on the interior; it appeared as if these Geth had managed to get into the room before they had secured it. She also noticed that one of the archaic two dimensional pictures, which Rael loved, and always kept on his desk, had been broken and scorched. Her mind flared as she recognized the picture, it use to be a picture of the ceremony where Tali got her first suit, but now it was just a blackened piece of parchment.

"Tali, _Na'vera._" The man against the wall gasped for breath, he was wearing an Admiral's insignia, Rael'Zorah.

"Father!" She ran as fast as her legs would carry her to him, knelt down on the opposite side of the Quarian tending to him, and grasped his hands with her own. His body had multiple plasma burns smack-dab in the middle of his upper chest. From the spread of the shot, it had to have been a Geth Plasma Shotgun.

Shepard looked at the Quarian tending to the Admiral. The Quarian noticed this and in a silent signal shook his head, meaning somewhere along the lines of, 'He's not gonna make it.'

"Father, you're going to make it, alright? Just hold on." Tali's voice was tittering on the edge of desperation.

A faint chuckle emanated from the Admiral, "Tali, you're a terrible liar, but in my last moments I have some confessions I wish to share with you." He coughed momentarily before continuing, "I know I wasn't the best parent to you Tali. I know that I ignored you, my own daughter, after your mother died." Rael gently stroked Tali's helmet, "You remind me so much of her, I...I didn't want to bear the pain of the Rhet'felz*. Whenever I thought about her, even for a second, it struck me that she's never coming back, and whenever I saw you... all I could think about was her." Rael cleared his throat, "I know I promised you a house on the home world. I even convinced myself that was what you really wanted, but I know what you 'really' want. Something I should have realized a long time ago." Rael felt wet droplets stream out of his eyes and down his cheeks, "I love you, my daughter. I want you to know that even though I never said it, I was always proud of you." Now Tali felt tears accumulating at the corners of her eyes, "Please. Forgive me Tali... For not being there for you, for insistently pushing you into a project that has undoubtedly got you into trouble with the Admiralty Board, for... for everything. Please, forgive me." He finished in an almost pleading tone.

Tali tightly embraced her dying father, who weakly gripped her back, "I love you too, father, and I forgive you."

"Thank you Tali, for redeeming your old man for his lack of obligations towards his daughter, for giving your old man some happiness in his final moments." He turned his head to Kal, "Promise me you'll keep her safe, Reegar, you too, Shepard. She means the world to me."

"I promise." Shepard and Kal amended simultaneously.

"Keelah se'lai." Rael whispered with his dying breath, he slumped against the wall, and his lifeless head lolled to the left. She felt his grip weaken as his hand lost its tension.

"Keelah se'lai..." Tali whispered almost inaudibly. She gently placed down the limp hand she was holding parallel to Rael's body. Tears slid freely down her cheeks as she couldn't hold the tears at bay any longer, she soon found herself sobbing uncontrollably.

This sobbing was loud enough for Shepard to take note of, as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the lifeless body of her Father. "Hey... come here." He said tenderly to her as he gave her a cordial hug, which Tali returned just as vehemently. Shepard knew how much Tali needed all the support possible, he knew how painful mourning can be from Virmire and losing Ashley. "Damn it...damn it." She repeated between sobs.

"Shhhh..." Shepard said in a low voice as he pressed her head against his chest with his hand, "Your father just wanted the best for you, whether you believe it or not. He cared for you, Tali. Just remember that your Father loved you and that he loved you until his dying breath." His words of wisdom hung in the air like a fog, persisting in Tali's thoughts.

Kal'Reegar let the embrace continue for a time until interjecting, "So, what now?"

One of the unscathed marines stood to attention, "Clearing the rest of the ship for any stragglers. It hasn't been long since they were activated, and they haven't been able to create replicas of themselves, at least not in this short of time span." He informed with a crisp salute and military precision, "We can handle it from here."

"How did so few Geth manage to incapacitate so many?" Gerren inquired with a grim frown.

"They took over the Armory before the scientists and non-militants could grab weapons. Only a few of us were carrying guns, it was a massacre." He explained grimly as he relived the moment. He looked with admiration towards Shepard and Kal, "Thank the Ancestors that y'all showed up, you've saved dozens of lives."

"We'll talk to the Admiralty Board in order to procure additional squadrons to assist in hunting down the remainder of the Geth." Kal'Reegar promised. The marine curtly nodded and then began conversing with the other marine.

Shepard motioned with his hand, "Come on, we're leaving." He commenced to walk towards the Hanger where the shuttle they had arrived on was located and, with only a moments hesitation, they too left.

"Well," Kal said as he took up a position to Tali's right while he was walking, "That didn't go as planned."

"They rarely do go to plan." She sighed unhappily, "I don't want to talk about it... not yet anyways."

Kal stopped pressing for information and instead moved and started walking next to Gerren. Kal cleared his throat, "Let me be the first to congratulate the two of you."

This prompted a, "Uhh... what for?" From Gerren.

"Come on Gerren," Kal'Reegar chided him with a laugh, "Your 'ole squad leader ain't deaf, I heard _everything_."

"Thanks, Kal." Ralin said enthusiastically as she lovingly rested her head on Gerren's shoulder and he put an arm around her.

Kal'Reegar grinned, "I'll leave you two to it then." He stated as he quickened his pace. It was five minutes before they were back on the shuttle again, heading back to the _Rayya_.

* * *

*_Rhet'felz - Literal translation: Broken Soul. An emotional state used to describe the mourning and sorrow a Quarian feels if his/her mate is lost. This goes above and beyond typical Human mourning; Quarians literally feel that they have lost a part of their soul, their very essence, this grief is so strong that they go as far as the point of suicidal thoughts._

_*Ta'saera - Your mate._

******IMPORTANT: I have a poll up on my profile which will directly effect how I will write the upcoming chapters. It would be a great help to me if you voted. Thanks! ******


	10. Chapter Nine: A Captain's Decision

**Enjoy! **

Chapter 9: A Captain's Decision

After a short ride back to the Alarei and a quick walk to the plaza, Kal'Reegar, Tali, and Shepard were all standing in front of the Admiralty Board inside the Conclave. The Admirals were all positioned atop a platform in the middle of the Conclave; Admiral Raan was overseeing; Admiral Xen was on the right; Koris, in the middle; and Han'Gerrel on the left. The Conclave was still empty, no other Quarian non-militants were allowed, and even though Gerren, Ralin, and Quinn weren't considered 'non-militants,' they were waiting outside the Conclave near the airlock to exterior docking cradle 17 to see Tali out, no matter what the outcome was.

"So, Tali." Admiral Raan said in a soft spoken tone, "What happened on the Alarei? What happened to your father?"

Shepard leaned atop the platform in front of him and answered for her, "We cleared the Alarei of the majority of Geth forces, but they may require more to clear out the remainder of the Geth before they can repair themselves and build more."

"Agreed," Daro'Xen concurred with a wave of her hand, "We will begin sending strike teams immediately to root out the Geth and assist with aiding the survivors."

"We cannot thank you enough for saving the Alarei. The Migrant Fleet owes all three of you." Han'Gerrel said with a bow of his head.

Admiral Raan cleared her throat, "and Tali's father?" She said, aware that they had avoided that question.

Shepard threw a glance back at Tali, who responded with a sad sniffle, "We found him, he was mortally injured and died in my hands... he was killed by the Geth."

Raan gasped momentarily, "I am so sorry, child. At least you got to see your father one last time."

"Yes, thankfully." Tali glumly replied, she had wanted for her entire life for her father to tell her that he loved her, that he was proud of her. He had gotten the chance to do so, but that seemed insignificant compared to him dying recklessly.

The Conclave went dead silent, not even a rustle of leaves from the nearby foliage was heard, Kal'Reegar broke the silence, "So... about our deal, Admiral Gerrel and Admiral Xen?"

"The vote of judgment was two to one in Tali's favor. Feel free to return to the fleet whenever you wish, Tali." Raan said as she shot a glare at Koris, the only one who voted against Tali's innocence and the main instigator of the accusations. Koris didn't meet Tali's gaze and looked away from Tali's accusing eyes, deciding to remain silent.

"Yes, we agreed to Tali being exonerated, but I still believe someone is still at fault for this atrocity." Daro'Xen stated smugly as she crossed her arms across her chest, and gazed over at the Quarian she thought was responsible, "Kal'Reegar."

"What do you mean? What does he have to do with this? We agreed that..." Admiral Gerrel began, flabbergasted by Xen's accusation.

"I agreed to nothing, only that I would vote for Tali's innocence if they retook the Alarei." Daro shot back at Han, interrupting him mid-sentence. "He's a part of my crew and I can do with him as I wish." She turned back to Kal'Reegar, "You will not be welcome back to the Moreh for two months due to your apparent lack of competence, which, if you had any competence whatsoever, then you could have averted this whole accident. I suggest you find another Captain to take you for the time being until it is deemed that you can return." She then left the room with her head arrogantly held high. "I hope that this will serve as an adequate lesson..." Acting completely obstinate, determined to have her own way.

Kal'Reegar gritted his teeth, she was his Captain, the Admirals could not veto a Captain's decision-although that didn't mean that she wasn't a bitch for her decision. '_Sometimes, I wish I had joined the Neema, or even the Tonbay._' Unfortunately, his Pilgrimage had not turned out as well as Tali's or Gerren's, in fact he was probably lucky he got a position aboard the Moreh. He'd worked as a machinist for four years inside the Citadel working on old ships and fixing parts, then he was robbed and lost half of his accumulated wealth. After that, he was fired and used the remainder of his money to buy an old shuttle. Daro'Xen reluctantly accepted this gift with the promise that he'd serve as a marine for fifteen years. So far, he'd served about ten of those years. He had loyally served the Migrant Fleet Marines and now... he was being exiled for a duration of two months. _'The galaxy is a cruel place._'

"Kal'Reegar... Admiral Xen has rendered her judgement, you must abide by it."Raan said dismally, she believed that Admiral Xen was acting irrational, but there was nothing she could do to stop this abuse of power. "Tali, Shepard, we still have some more things to discuss. Kal'Reegar, you are excused."

With a nod of his head Kal turned and began to walk up the stairs. He stopped mid-way when he felt a hand gently grab hold on his shoulder, he looked over his shoulder to half-face the source of the hand, it was Shepard. "Kal'Reegar, meet me outside the plaza when we are done here, we have some things to (discuss)."

Kal'Reegar raised an eyebrow in a bemused expression towards him, "Of course, I'll be waiting near the exit.

"Good man." Shepard said as he patted him on the shoulder and returned to his original position facing Raan and the remainder of the Admiralty Board.

Kal'Reegar was puzzled as he waited by the door to the conclave wondering, 'What could Shepard possibly want with me?' He didn't really have any skills to offer nor any sort of specialization. He pondered this until the Conclave was finally over and Shepard once again was in front of him.

"Kal'Reegar, have you given any thought as to what you're going to do now?" Shepard inquired.

Kal shook his head, "Not much, sir. I suppose I'll join one of the outlying ships for the time-"

"Don't bother," Shepard said cordially with a smile, "Would you like to join the Normandy? We need some of the best leaders and soldiers, and I don't care what Daro'Xen thinks of you. You're a damn fine soldier and a damn fine leader."

"I wasn't expecting the honor of joining your crew. You don't need to do this just because you pity me." Kal'Reegar rubbed the back of his neck, doing two of the things he did best; brutal honesty and modesty. "What could I possibly offer you? I'm just a soldier. I just shoot stuff."

It was Shepard's turn to shake his head, "That isn't important. What is inportant is that you stood by us, Kal; against the Admiralty Board, on the Alarei, and you made sure on Haestrom that Tali and the data remained safe, no matter the cost. You've earned this."

Kal'Reegar went silent, his abilities generally went unnoticed. To get such recognition from such a person made him exorbitantly proud. "Thanks, Shepard. I accept your offer, assuming it still stands." Kal quickly added, his modesty still showing. Shepard nodded, the offer still stood.

"I'll see you on the Normandy." Shepard turned around and began walking towards Exterior Docking Cradle 17.

"Wait!" Kal'Reegar started to follow him and caught up until he was side by side with Shepard, "Could I bring some of my Squad with me?"

"I don't see why not." Shepard replied with a slight shrug, "We need all the help we can possibly get, just board the Normandy when you are finished here."

At that point Tali came up to Shepard and Reegar, "Kal, you're coming with us?" She said as she joined up in their stroll.

"Seems like it, ma'am. How else am I supposed to fulfill my oath to your father if I don't? I swore to protect you, and that is exactly what I'm going to do."

"Kal, what did I tell you about calling me, 'Ma'am'?" She said with an exasperated sigh, "It's Tali. The mission is over, I'm not your superior anymore."

"No, ma'a- Tali. I think it's just beginning." He abruptly stopped and waved good-bye at the two.

Shepard turned to the Quarian in his wake, "Let's head back to our ship, Miss vas Normandy..." With that, the two left for the Normandy.

Kal activated his Omni-tool and sent a short message to Gerren, requesting that he, along with everyone else, meet Kal'Reegar at the entrance to exterior docking cradle 17. He was feeling... Happy? He wasn't sure, what he was feeling was a mix; he finally had the chance to make a difference, and there was no way he was going to pass this up. _'Screw the Admiralty Board and screw Daro'Xen. When have they ever done anything for me?_' In the direction that Shepard and Tali went, he took off as well.

* * *

Kal'Reegar approached the small cluster of three slowly, (Urla and Venn were not present) wondering how the Squad would take the news of his dismissal from the Moreh for two months. "Good to see y'all. Where is Venn and Urla?"

Gerren gave a modest shrug, "I told them to come as well, but they must be occupied with something."

"Kal, is something wrong?" Ralin said with concern, she seemed to have very good intuition for determining people's feelings. Very impressive, since she didn't have facial expressions to go by. "Did Tali get exiled?"

Kal'Reegar sighed tersely, "Tali didn't get exiled, but something is definitely wrong." Kal studied each of them carefully, "Admiral Xen has removed me from the Moreh for two months." Their reaction was immediate and a collective gasp arose.

"She... She can't do that!" Gerren blurted out.

"Unfortunately, she can. She is my Captain." Kal's voice surprised him, he was acting remarkably collected at this unexpected turn of events. "Shepard has requested that I join him on the Normandy, which I have accepted." He cleared his throat before announcing, "Now, I don't expect you to join me, or require it, but I wanted to ask if any of you would join me."

Ralin's hand bravely shot straight up immediately after his announcement, "I'm with ya, Sarge!" She declared confidently. Kal noticed that ever since she had found love with Gerren, she was becoming more and more reckless and seemingly more like herself as she grew comfortable with all of them; as opposed to the shy woman she had once been.

"You will do no such thing." A voice from behind Kal stated, he could hear the metallic footsteps from his approach. Kal half-faced the procurer of the voice. It was none other than Admiral Koris, his Admiral's Insignia gleaming on the front of his suit with his head held high, proud of his status in the fleet.

Under her visor Ralin paled beyond her usual white-gray complexion, "Captain." She said as she performed a formal Quarian salute. The right arm is held away from the body, parallel with the body with the hand facing upwards. The right hand is balled up in a fist. The left arm is across her chest and her hand is approximately where her heart would be located with the fingers and thumb spread apart from one another. The chest is projected upwards and forwards with the head slightly tilted forwards. It is the ultimate way of showing respect to another being for Quarians.

"At ease, Ralin'Shanar vas Qwib-Qwib." Koris said humbly, holding one his hands in a gesture for her to stop. Ralin eventually went back to her original resting position, and Koris directed his attention towards Kal. "Quarian biotics are too rare to go on a suic-Shepard's mission. I'm sure that you are aware of this from your time serving."

"I see your logic, Admiral. It does not offend me in the slightest." Kal acquiesced, Quarian biotics _were_ rare, and the fleet could not afford for one of them to be Killed in Action. "But are you insinuating that Shepard's mission is impossible? We're talking about the man who found Ilos, that was considered impossible too."

Koris snorted and with his general pretentious manner, "This mission will require you to go past the Omega-4 Relay, something that has never been done before, I will not waste additional Quarian lives on something so, to astutely put it, suicidal."

Gerren answered the call to duty, despite Koris's warning of impending doom, "You saved me in the Perseus Veil, Kal. Time for me to return the favor." Believing that he owed Kal his life for rescuing him from the clutches of the Geth. Ralin looked torn between the duty to her Captain and the duty to her _Saera _to be as she vacilitated her gaze between Kal and Gerren.

"Gerren... You have someone else to worry about now," Kal'Reegar lightly chided with a hasty glance towards Ralin. She was looking pleadingly towards Gerren, not wishing for him to leave without her, where she couldn't protect him. Where he could easily end up dead. "Wouldn't be fair if I took you away from her." Afterwards, Kal faced Quinn who appeared to be tense and quietly contemplating his options. He didn't say anything, neither did Kal.

"I guess that this is goodbye then." Gerren muttered, nearly choking on his words. He did not sounding particularly good or wanting to say bye to Kal.

"Hey. We'll see each other again." Kal said, trying to remain optimistic while he placed a hand on Gerren's shoulder, even though he was feeling anything but optimistic. "I'll see you in two months. You're going to have to be the one to commit Daala to the Ancestors. Keelah se'lai."

"I really hope your right and I'll make that she is commited to the Ancestors. Keelah se'lai." Ralin and Gerren said the last part in unison. Kal'Reegar, letting the hand droop off of Gerren, and with a wave of his hand, turned towards the open airlock door, took one long look back, taking in the scene before him, and slowly made his way into the Normandy. 'If this really is a suicide mission, then this might be the last time I ever see the fleet again.' He thought dismally.

He sighed, 'Looks like I'll have to face the cold, hard unknown alone.' He was lost in thought and almost jumped when a voice unexpectantly inquired, "So, where to next, Kal?" Kal hastily checked behind him. Quinn'Zeeda has sneaked up on his and apparently had come to a decision on whether to join this little adventure or not.

"Quinn, you're coming with?" Kal, based on his previous knowledge of Quinn, thought that he would be the least likely to come with him.

"And pass up the opportunity to work on the most sophisticated ship in the whole galaxy? Not a chance!"

"Thanks... I'm glad that I won't have to... You know." Kal'Reegar was terrible at thank yous, more so than he liked to admit. He was a marine, he was used to helping people, and not use to people coming to his aid.

"Not a problem." Quinn said as the gray inner airlock door opened. Shepard was leaning on a console, facing the inner airlock door, he had been waiting for them, Tali was staring into space close to Shepard, and Miranda Lawson was conversing with EDI near the Galaxy Map.

He swiftly stood and greeted the two Quarian visitors. "Welcome aboard the Normandy, again. I see you brought Quinn with you." Shepard said with a smile towards the eccentric Quarian Engineer, who was happily bobbing his head up and down in a nod. "Make yourselves at home with some of the most experienced and best, soldiers, biotics, mercenaries, engineers, scientists, and assassins in the _entire_ Galaxy."

"Before that though, we'll need to make this arrangement more permanent than the last one. "Talk to Miranda," Shepard gestured with his head towards the Human female whom they both remembered distinctly from Haestrom. "She will assign you to where you will be working." He leaned in close to Kal, "If she gives you any sort of trouble, don't hesitate to tell me." He whispered.

"Maybe," Kal'Reegar said as he turned towards Miranda, "You should update me on the current mission." Kal noticed Tali perked up, listening intently to what Shepard had to say. She had not been given a full briefing either, not with all the craziness that had recently occurred.

"We're going up against an alien race called the Collectors."

"Ah, yes. Tali mentioned them on Haestrom; from when you went to Freedom's Progress."

"We've learned more about them since then." He said with a wave of his hand, "The Collectors are reprogrammed Protheans, serving the Reapers. We're going to attack their base, beyond the Omega-4 Relay."

Kal gasped and his eyes turned wide, "The Omega-4 Relay? I heard it was impossible. No ship has ever returned." Acutely remembering Koris's pompous claims.

"Which is why," A knowing smile creeped up on Shepard's face. "We're going to be the first. We're collecting an IFF from a Derelict Reaper which should enable us to enter the Omega-4 Relay unhindered."

"Well, I hope it works." Someone tapped him on the right shoulder, he spun around towards where the source should have been, but nothing was there. With a confused expression on his face he felt someone tap on his other shoulder, again when he spun around, nothing was there. "Huh?" He inquired, puzzled at who, or what, could be doing this. He threw a glance back at Tali, who appeared to be just as confused.

Shepard suppressed a laugh with his hand, "Kasumi, stop toying with Kal!"

"Aww..." A human female, short in stature and sported a lithe body, materialized directly in front of Kal. She was cloaked in black and gray clothing which concealed most of her body with the exception of the bottom half of her face. She had a red stripe which ran down from the bottom of her lip to her chin. Kal stepped back in surprise from the figure, there had not even been a shimmer from her tactical cloak.

"That's some impressive gear you got there." Kal admitted once he had steadied himself and regained his composure.

"Thanks!" She said cheerfully, "Your equipment isn't too bad either!" As she gave him a once over of his enviro-suit, the ML-77 slung across his back, and the M-6 Carnifex strapped to his right hip.

At that point, Miranda approached the five of them, carrying a datalog, she did not look up from it, "Kal'Reegar, you'll be working with Jacob Taylor in the armory. Quinn, you'll be working with Tali'Zorah down in Engineering." After a curt nod from both of them, she glanced up, "Pleasure to work with you." Her face was blank, hell, he might as well be looking at a Quarian visor. No emotion was present on her face as she, once again, examined the datalog and departed.

"I guess I'll be taking inventory inside the Armory. See you later, Kasumi and -" He clutched his chest, bent over, and violently coughed. '_Crap.'_ He searched his mind for what could have caused hin to do that as he stared at the spittle on his visor, '_Allergic reaction from the suit puncture on Haestrom...'_ He felt his airway begin to constrict and nausea overtake his being. He began feeling woozy, and stepped precariously.

"Are you okay?" Shepard gripped on the arm, supporting Kal from falling over.

"Perfect. Just perfect. Looks like I'm sick from when I got shot on Haestrom." Kal groaned groggily, '_I guess it was to be expected that this would happen..._'

"Tali, escort Reegar down to the Med-bay ASAP, you probably know the most about Quarian sickness."

Tali gave Shepard a curt nod, proceeded to grab hold of Reegar's hand, and hastily lead him to the elevator both agilely and gracefully. They stepped inside, "You know, Kal," Tali said as the doors closed and the elevator began to descend. "I might be in the same situation as you. My suit was punctured on the Alarei..."

"You should take a peek at that-Immediately." A sneeze briefly interrupted his advice. The doors lumbered open and Tali led him to the Medical wing.

The doors parted and a gray-haired doctor, slightly beyond her prime, who was seated at a desk, craned her neck towards the door, "Another sick Quarian, eh?" She said with a hint that she was slightly miffed. She stood up and got out of her chair and seemed to visibly lighten up, "No matter, I'm probably an expert by now. I patched Tali up so many times from all the fire she took back on the original Normandy." She chuckled softly with a grin from the memory.

Tali knew that the comment was not meant to be taken seriously, but she felt a pang of guilt when she was reminded of the previous Normandy. Guilt of her being the cause of Shepard's death. She knew this wasn't completely true, but even so, her mind would not let go of the nagging sensation at the back of her mind, that it was utterly her fault.

"I do not believe we've been fully introduced," She extended an arm out to the sick Quarian, "Dr. Chakwas, at your service."

"Squ- Kal'Reegar, 78th Migrant Fleet Marines." Remembering that during his brief dismissal, he would be stripped of any sort of military ranking until mitt could return to the Moreh. He grasped her hand, and gave it a short pump in a handshake.

"What appears to be the problem?"

"I'm having an allergic reaction to some bacteria I must've picked up back on Haestrom." He said while gingerly rubbing his shoulder, "Just give me some antibiotics and I'll be good to go."

"Oh no, I don't think so, Kal." Chakwas said, trying to conceal a smile, "I'm going to quarantine you here for a week and confine you strictly to the Medical wing."

"What? A week? It's just a-" Kal raised his voice, incredulous at the current situation

"Relax." Chakwas gave a half exasperated sigh, "You military types are so serious, like these Cerberus folks. Sometimes, I wish I was back, serving with the Alliance again." She said with a shake of her head.

"You served with the Alliance?" Kal asked as he blinked in surprise.

Dr. Chakwas began rifling through her office, looking for the correct antibiotic, "Yes, as I said previously, I was the Doctor on the original Normandy." Dr. Chakwas grabbed a small vial, and meticulously brought it over to Kal. "Now, take this." As she carefully measured out the antibiotic and handed it to Kal. He was more than glad to swallow the purplish liquid via his induction port. "Get some rest, I don't think either of you have had a wink of it since we left Haestrom."

Tali sat down on one of the medical cots and began working on her suit puncture, Kal laid down on one of the cots. It is recommended that for the first twelve hours after the onset of an allergic reaction, that the victim be within close proximity to medical personnel, in the case that their conditions worsen. Kal lazily stared up at the sterile, white walls of the Medical bay, which reminded him briefly of the Migrant Fleet. He closed his eyes, feeling more secure from the memory of home, _'Better not stare at it for too long, or else I'll go blind..._' He chuckled as he reminisced in what he had said before he left the fleet to go to Haestrom. Where he had lost more than just a soldier. He had lost a friend, a squad mate, maybe something even more, if Kal'Reegar had taken the initiative to know her better; more so than just on a "friends" basis. 'Now, I'll never get the chance...' He shook away the dreary thought and succumbed to the beckoning call of sleep.

**Just because Ralin and Gerren are breaking away from Kal'Reegar does not mean that they will be forgotten about and swept under a rug. I have several excerpts planned out just for them. :P**


	11. Chapter Ten: A Minute to Spare

Chapter 10: A Minute to Spare

**Ralin'Shanar/Gerren'Lakko**

As it turned out, Ralin was on the same boat that Kal'Reegar was on. After watching Kal'Reegar, followed by Quinn, departing, Ralin suffered a bout of sneezes and complained of a fever.

"Ooooohhh..." She groaned after she got over her fit, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Can't say anything but, told ya so." Gerren chided, she hadn't been wounded on Haestrom, so it had to have been from her taking off her suit momentarily during their interrupted lovemaking session.

"This is so unfair. I wasn't even shot!" She glanced accusingly at Gerren, and doing a terrible job at feigning anger, "Unlike someone." She was trying her best to hold her firece gaze, but it was hard when she was smiling underneath her helmet.

"Luck. Pure luck." Gerren explained, "Now, do you need to go to the Rayya's medical facilities?"

She shook her head, "A shuttle is coming to pick up Admiral Koris and take him back to the Qwib-Qwib. I can hold off till then." She began to walk in the direction of where the shuttle would arrive. Gerren contemplated saying something, if the allergic reaction became too serious, it could kill her.

She looked backwards and waved her hand in a gesture for him to follow her, "Walk with me?" She asked, Gerren wasted no time in catching up to his _Saera_ to be. "I never asked you how your shoulder was doing."

Gerren's hand went up and gently touched his right shoulder. He winced in pain, "It still hurts if you apply pressure to it. I don't have a single doubt that this will turn into a permenant scar."

After a moment of silence, "Have you given any thought about to how... this will work?" Gerren inquired.

"Well, knowing Koris, he'll want the Khelat bond to be on the Qwib-Qwib. He doesn't really allow for me to leave..." She cleared her throat, "Also, if you make a joke about the Qwib-Qwib, I'm going to have to punch you." She said it in a way that was not to be taken serious; however, she was fully aware if its bad reputation. The Qwib-Qwib's name is often mocked because its name is from an alien culture.

"So, did you hear the one about-?" Gerren began, purposefully teasing her. Ralin balled her hand into a fist and threw a mock punch which gently impacted Gerren's shoulder.

This illicited a sharp intake of breath and a wince from Gerren as he clutched the shoulder. Ralin's eyes widened as she realized what she had done."Oh Keelah, Gerren. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that was your bad shoulder." Ralin apologized nervously, rushing her words.

Gerren let the act continue on for a few more seconds, "Got you." He chuckled and stopped clutching his shoulder, "It's my _right_ shoulder that's injured, you hit my left."

Ralin looked at him in confusion for a second, then recognition as to what he had done spread across her face. "You bosh'tet! You're intentionally egging me on!" She exclaimed, "Next time, I'll make sure to hit your right shoulder!"

"'I wish I could shut him up with my biotics,'" Gerren said, mimicking what Ralin had eagerly said before the start of their mission to Haestrom.

"I swear, Gerren-"

"Swear what?"

"Keelah, you're intolerable!" She threw her hands down in exasperation. "Why are you doing this to me?"

That's when the charm kicked in, "Because..." He smiled, "I love you." He slung one of his arms around her and held her tightly.

She resisted at first, not expecting him to do that, but then gave in and embraced him back, leaning her head on his left shoulder. "I love you too, Ger."

"Oh, so I'm guessing 'Ger' is my pet name?" Gerren said with a lopsided grin as they continued on, "I guess I'll have to come up with one for you... Ray-Ray."

"Mine is _so_ much better." She lightly boasted.

"Is not!" Gerren exclaimed with mock indignation.

"Is too!"

"Too bad, it's stickin'!" Gerren chuckled, effectively ending the argument.

That was when they arrived at the Shuttle Bay, where Zaal'Koris was already waiting right next to it. They stopped just out of reach of the shuttle and turned to one another. Zaal patiently watched.

"It might be a while before we see each other again." Ralin whispered, gripped his hands, and gave a squeeze, holding them tightly.

He squeezed back, "If I can, I'll visit the Qwib-Qwib every chance I get. I won't let us being on different ships come between us."

"Not if. When." She cracked a grin, repeating what she had said on Haestrom, as she broke off from him and took a step back towards the shuttle. "I'll be waiting, keep up with me through the externet _when_ you can." She turned and headed towards the shuttle.

"Optimist!" Gerren called after her.

"Pessimist!" Ralin called back as she boarded the shuttle.

Gerren watched the entire sequence of the shuttle leaving, but his mind was on other things. '_Keelah, I am so lucky. So very, very lucky_.' He grinned from ear to ear, he couldn't remember a time where he'd been happier. Yet, even in this moment of bliss, he was troubled. He had noticed Ralin covertly hiding her body language about something she was keeping pent up inside her. '_Looks like Kal'Reegar's skill at deduction has rubbed off on me._' He mused. He had felt her hovering over whether to tell him or not about what she was concealing. Whatever it was, it had traumatized her, similar to how Gerren had been scarred by the last memory of his former squad. '_I'll make sure to ask her when I visit. If we're to become One Soul, then we need to know each other, to care for one another, to give our love and support for the other._'

Quarians are a very emotional race. They mate for life, and seperations are almost unheard of. When they mate, they believe that their souls, the very essence of their being, become interlocked with their mate in a beautiful, passionate dance of love and bliss. Quarian courtship varies in great lengths of time, from a month to years, it is when they believe that they can trust their significant other absolutely, that they mate with one another.

Gerren wandered in the direction of the shuttle that was undoubtedly taking Admiral Raan back to the Tonbay, and departed, taking his thoughts with him.

* * *

**Tali'Zorah**

"Oh, come on!" She messed up. Big time. During her suit repair, she had forgotten to check her section seals, basically the equivalent of emergency bulkheads for her suit. Now, the probability of her getting sick was pretty much guaranteed. She had exposed her entire body briefly to foreign contaminates. She silently berated herself as she angrily stared at where the suit puncture had originally been. That's when the Med-Bay doors opened.

She glanced up from her suit work to view Shepard dressed in much more fashionable clothing than his battle-worn armor. It was black with white lining, it also prominently displayed more of his... Muscular features of his arms and chest. "Tali, do you have a minute?" The Human Spectre said.

"Yes, just finishing up some suit repair." As she glanced back down at her shoulder, her face flushing with embarrassment as she shook her head free of fantasizing about what his musculated features would look like uncovered, '_Probably should remove the Nerve-stim from my suit functions for the time being... Then again..._' On Haestrom, she had ashamedly decided to install the Nerve-stim suit function. She didn't think that anyone on the team was aware of this "upgrade", however.

"Suit repair?"

"Yea," She rubbed the shoulder where the suit puncture had been previously. "I took some fire back on the Alarei, and while I was inspecting the puncture, I forgot to check the section seals. It's possible I'll contract a slight fever." Shaking her head at her stupid, careless mistake.

After a moment of silence, "I don't know if I could live inside a suit my whole life." He admitted, realizing just how fragile Quarians could be, and the dangers that were associated with them.

Tali sighed, "We are in our suits, even among family. The most intimate thing we can do with another Quarian is to link our..." She flushed an even deeper gray, _'Keelah, I can't believe I was going to tell Shepard about Quarian suit linking!'_ She quickly changed the subject after a moment of hesitation, "Um, so, er, what did you come down here to, um, talk about." Stumbling and stuttering over her words, this was one of the few times she was glad that she had a visor, he couldn't see how furiously she was blushing.

Shepard didn't seem to notice or was intentionally ignoring the stuttering, "I came to talk to you about... Earlier. Is this a good time? I know you're probably still thinking about Rael's... Death." He said with some hesitation, tiptoeing around the topic of the death of Tali's father.

"Good of a time as any. My father's death won't affect my performance on the mission. If that's what you're worried about." Once again she was glad for her opaque mask, he couldn't see her face scrunch up with emotion and a tear slide down her cheek.

"I'm glad to hear it. But... I meant before. Before we got to the Migrant Fleet." He said solemnly with an unreadable expression. He faced the Doctor sitting at the nearby desk, "Dr. Chakwas, can you give me and Tali some privacy, please?"

After glancing between the two, Chakwas wordlessly got up and left, "Come and tell me when you have finished." She said as she brushed past Shepard and onto the crew deck. Tali might have been seeing things, but she swore that she saw Chakwas wink at him as she passed.

Shepard returned his gaze onto Tali, "Tali, I was brain dead for a year and ten months." Starting off right where he finished, "But for the last month, I remained subconsciously aware of my surroundings and I only had my thoughts to keep me company." He took in a gulp of air, "Tali you know how I always said, 'The mission comes first?'"

"Yes..." Now, Tali was completely and utterly confused, she had no idea what he was getting at.

"Well, death has a way of reshuffling a person's priorities." He said with a humorless laugh, "Tali, for that one month... I could...I could only think about you." He sincerely stated with an earnest expression.

Tali stared blankly at Shepard, her mouth agape. She finally managed to find the will to speak, and she turned into the stuttering girl that had died on the day Shepard was lost to her. "But... But... I thought... you never... you noticed?"

Shepard was grinning from ear to ear now, "Come on, Tali. You never thought I noticed? I may not be able to see your facial expressions, but those little things that you did; like straightening up whenever I got within five meters of you? You were sending off signals like a charging Krogan." It was true, since other races couldn't see a Quarian's facial expression, Quarians took it for granted that they couldn't tell anything about them underneath their suits. "I didn't say anything, well, because, back then I still believed that the Mission came first. That nothing good could come out of such interference."

"Has that philosophy changed?" Tali whispered quietly, a spark of hope burning bright inside her.

"Yes, Tali. It has." He sat down besides her on the cot, placing a hand atop of hers. His breathtaking blue eyes were attempting to pierce her opaque purple visor as he focused in on her eyes. The corners of his mouth were upturned in a pleasant smile,'_ in fact_,' As she sorted through her memories about the previous Normandy, '_Shepard was all business back then, I don't even remember him cracking a smile unless it was Garrus or Joker joking around, trying to lighten the mood._'

"Tali, I realized that there was no real happiness in my life, I realized on Horizon that even after two years you felt the same way for me, that you cared for me as deeply as the day I died, I realized..." He paused briefly, searching for the correct words, "that I love you." It was as if every single fantasy of her's was coming true.

_'Keelah, is this real? Am I dreaming?_' Tali glanced down at the hand on hers, averting her gaze from those comforting orbs, and flinched, even at this moment of intimacy she was still penetrated by the guilt she felt since the Normandy was destroyed. She released her tension that had been building up in her shoulders, and stopped twitching nervously. '_If I am, then this is the best dream I've ever had.' _

_"_Shepard..." Tali started out, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say those three words. This is a childish fantasy come true."

"Except, it's not childish, and it's not a fantasy." He chided with a compassionate smile.

Tali felt overjoyed, cheerful... happy. But, even so, there was something itching, crawling at the back of her mind. She had to blurt it out. She just had to, it was a question burning at the very core of her person. "How...how can you choose me? After what I did-"

Shepard shot her a bemused expression, "What do you mean, 'How could you choose me?'"

"Back on the Normandy, um..." She took in a deep breath then spat it out as quickly as she could formulate the words, "It was all my fault you died I couldn't convince Joker and I'm the reason why you went up there to get him and I'm-"

"Slow down, Tali." He flashed her a quick smile, "It's not your fault, you couldn't have known what would've happened." He put his other hand on her visor, approximately where her check would be located, and stroked it, "If it helps to settle your mind any, then I forgive you."

Tali exhaled the breath she hadn't even known she was holding in and tenderly leaned her head against his hand. Even with that simple act of forgiveness, she felt a heavy burden lifted off her chest. For, quite possibly, the first time in her life, she felt truely at peace with the Galaxy. "Thank you, Shepard. You don't know what that means to me."

A figure shifted in the nearby cot, "Well, you proved me wrong, Tali. I guess it's not impossible for a Quarian and a Human to love one another." Kal said as he rolled over onto his side, facing the two positioned on the edge of the cot. He felt a pang of sorrow, he could have had something similar with Daala, if only he'd asked.

Shepard didn't appear worried that Kal had eavesdropped on their private conversation, "Feeling any better?

"It wasn't that bad of a reaction, I'll probably be out in three, maybe four hours."

"Glad to hear it."

A call came over the ship's intercom, Joker, of course. "Commander, we've arrived at Mnemosyne in the Thorne system. Requesting that you come up to the bridge." The intercom crackled and ended, Joker having conveyed his message.

Shepard stood up, his comforting hand leaving hers. "Duty calls. Be at the airlock in one hour. We'll discuss this later, Okay?" He said as he half-turned back to her, walking towards the exit.

"Yes. Definitely." She whispered to no one in particular.

Kal'Reegar watched as Shepard left. Once he was sure he was gone, "Tali. You know that this isn't going to turn out well." He said as truthfully as possible.

Tali gritted her teeth with irritation, "and why might that be?" Even though she already knew the answer.

"If you pursue a romantic relationship with Shepard, you could get sick, maybe even worse than that." He said with a slight shrug of his shoulders, implying that there was a chance of her dying. "and it was Admiral Zorah's death wish that I protect you." He reminded her.

"He also wanted Shepard to protect me, too." She pointed out stubbornly, she knew that he was right, but that didn't subside her frustration, "I'm not a damn girl anymore, Kal. I can make my own decisions, and I don't care what my father would think about it."

"Tali, you're acting irrational. I wasn't going to condemn your relationship. I just want you to think about the consequences of your actions. And," He said as he stretched on the cot back into a resting position, "I know how much you want this, and, as a friend, I wish you two the best of luck."

Tali was touched, Kal had never expressed her as a friend before, more of as a superior officer who needed to be followed and protected until his dying breath. "Thank you, Kal." She lifted herself off the cot, "If you need me, I'll be down in Engineering."

Kal'Reegar watched Tali leave, carrying herself higher, her step had more bounce to it, and her hips swaying more than when she entered.

* * *

**Author Notes: I'd been waiting to write this chapter since I started on this project. In Mass Effect, what Shepard says during Tali's LI convo in ME2 is so bland, hope you enjoyed how I spiced it up.**

**Fav/Follow/Review if you are liking the story so far! Feedback is always appreciated! :)****  
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	12. Chapter Eleven: Reaper IFF

**Well, forgive me for not putting out a chapter in a while, I've been thinking on some other great projects I could do. Two of which I will write about. Stay tuned for that!**

Chapter 11: Reaper IFF

After the Normandy had braved the constant torrents and six hundred kilometer per hour gusts of the failed star, Joker had positioned the Normandy besides the decrepit Reaper. The thing was massive, easily the size of a dreadnought, if not bigger. The 37 million year old Reaper was remarkably intact for its age as if some act of nature had saved it from the harsh environment. They were planning on entering it, even after The Illusive Man lost contact with the research team. The Normandy hovered next to the Reaper as Shepard chose his team.

"Garrus and... Tali." Shepard said to the crowd gathered by the Airlock as he put his helmet on. Tali's eyes widened in surprise. In light of recent events, she thought that she'd be the absolute last person that Shepard would pick. Obviously, he had proven her wrong.

Garrus checked the thermal clip in his sniper rifle, "Just like old times... Eh, Tali?" He said with a smirk.

"We'll see how far your skills with a sniper rifle have fallen in two years." She teased as she rolled her neck to one side until she heard a pop.

"I'll have you know-"

"Wait!" A synthesized voice sailed over the crowd. Everyone's heads instinctively snapped towards the new voice, "You have to take me with you. I have to... I've got to... Protect Tali." Kal'Reegar said as he approached, his red armor gleaming.

Shepard's face briefly flashed with annoyance. "Reegar, you don't need to do this. I can easily..."

"Yes... But..." Kal'Reegar weakly protested.

"Garrus, Tali, stay here." He said as he began walking towards the Armory, indicating for Kal to follow him. His face was blank, showing no signs of emotion. Kal'Reegar took one glance at the group, then went with Shepard. Once he had caught up with Shepard, "Kal'Reegar, we need to talk." He said in a low voice, barely above a whisper.

"Sir, with all due respect..." He couldn't come up with an acceptable argument, his mind was swimming, and his forehead was glistening with perspiration. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet. Shepard caught him quickly.

"Kal'Reegar, you're sick. How can you expect to adequately protect Tali, if you have trouble standing?" Shepard gave a exasperated sigh and placed a hand on his helmet at the location of forehead, "Kal, lets put it this way; Tali has a higher chance of surviving with someone who can shoot straight and won't be affected by an illness." With a more sincere tone, "Besides, you were there; you know how much I care for Tali. I wouldn't let anything harm her. Ever."

Kal's mouth was dry, another symptom of an allergic reaction, "Fine." Was the only word he could mutter. "I trust you, Shepard. Take good care of her." He said, while trying to keep skepticism from surfacing.

"I will." He promised as he began backing away, heading towards the Airlock. "We'll be back before you know it. "She's in good hands. We'll be back before you know it!" Shepard continued to reassure Reegar.

Once he had left, Reegar gave a worried shake of his head. "Keelah, I hope so." He sighed and decided to head back down to the Medbay, having nothing better to do. "I hope so." He reiterated softly.

* * *

**Ralin'Shanar**

Admiral Zaal'Koris and Ralin were the only two on that specific shuttle, heading back to the Qwib Qwib. He stared at her with burning intensity. Eventually, Ralin succumbed to ask what it was that he wanted. "What is it?"

"So, you and your squadmate are mated?" He inquired bluntly, recalling how Gerren and Ralin were holding one another before Ralin and Zaal had departed for the Qwib Qwib.

Ralin tensed, she had been anxious for this moment. She respected her Captain immensely, he was the reason she was an Adept after all. "No, not yet anyway. Probably in a month or two."

"So soon? That was not an anticipated outcome when you were assigned to Kal's squad. Still, I suppose it's not a bad outcome." He mused to himself with a shrug.

Ralin cleared her throat as he struck a chord on what she wanted to talk to him about, "We were thinking of forming the Khelat bond on the Qwib Qwib." She clenched her teeth and braced herself for his reaction.

He gave the most unexpected answer, "Wonderful!" He exclaimed loudly and cheerfully.

Her jaw dropped, "You...approve?" She asked, dumbfounded by his reaction. '_Doesn't he realize that he could lose the thirteen years of investment he put into me? Thirteen years of training on Thessia?_' Zaal was too clever and cunning to let something like that happen, to let so much time needlessly go to waste, '_He must have an ulterior motive... But what could it be?'_

"Why wouldn't I? It's a thing of celebration! And better yet, it is to take place on my ship!" He said earnestly with his arms outstretched, publicly showing how exuberant he was. "I will look through the ship's calendar. I will let you know immediately when an opening arises." He amended.

Ralin looked upon Zaal in new light, in new found respect, different than her previous respect as just her superior. "Thank you, Captain." She managed to say. She returned to her seat on the Shuttle which soon arrived at the Qwib-Qwib.

* * *

**Gerren'Lakko**

Aboard the Tonbay, Admiral Shala'Raan watched the proceedings unfold under her as she took her place on the podium, hovering above the one body, Daala's body, positioned inside a funeral pyre. Daala's body was covered from head to toe in cloth, her suit had been removed, and would probably be given to another after disinfecting it and repairing it.

Gerren was waiting patiently besides Raan, his head bowed, and both of his hands intertwined with one another at her thighs.

She began, "Blessed are the Ancestors which kept us, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai." Her voice carried over the crowd. She bowed her head in reverance. The crowd gathered aroundd her pyre muttered a collective "Keelah se'lai" back at her, imitating her. After her head came back up, "In light of Kal'Reegar's absence, one of his squad mates, Gerren'Lakko vas Tonbay will be taking his place in the Silz'Teyn faaz."

Gerren gulped anxiously, he had prepared a speech on his Omni-tool, but the more he had read it, the more he hated it. Admiral Raan stepped down from the podium and Gerren took her place. He leaned on the podium and slowly examined the crowd.

"Daala was a friend to all of us," He began discreetly reading from his Omni-tool. His eyes landed on an older Quarian female and a much younger Quarian male, which looked young enough to look like he was just about to depart on his Pilgrimage, in an embrace. The male was comforting the female who was weeping into his shoulder, '_Daala's mother and brother.'_ Gerren realized, the Rozu clan was prestigious enough to be allowed two children; mainly from their dedication to serving the Quarian people.

With determination, he disregarded his written speech, "No, Daala was more than just a friend. She and Kal held the squad together." The female of the couple Gerren was watching, cocked her head to listen, "She was honorable, never in the face of danger did she cower or flee. She stood strong against any foes we faced, she stood strong for the Migrant Fleet, and she stood strong against the Geth. Daala is the example that we should all aspire to. She didn't die in vain; she died fighting for the Quarian race." He directed the crowd's attention to Daala's mother and brother, "I can't say that I know the pain you feel for losing a daughter, or for losing a sister. But I know the pain of losing a mother, how it changes your life forever. I am sorry for your loss. I truly am. Keelah se'lai." Having said that, he removed himself from the podium and Admiral Raan took his place. There was a smattering of clapping after Gerren finished.

"We shall now begin the *Ushezl'faaz." Raan declared, she opened her Omni-tool and began igniting the flames which covered Daala's now burning body. Without hesitation, she commenced the Ushezl'faaz, "Daala'Rozu, who fell in the midst of battle, We release her soul from this mortal world so that the Ancestors may guide it to their resting place. May she forever find peace with them in eternal bliss, and that the remnants of her soul be always remembered in our hearts and minds. Keelah se'lai." The body was no more than ash now, completely cremated. "You may now collect the ashes of your loved one."

Daala's mother stepped forward as the flames began dying down, revealing gray ash. She sweeped the dust into a small container until it was nearly full with ash, her somber mood becoming more pronounced.

The group attending muttered one last "Keelah se'lai," before dispersing, the event complete.

Gerren approached Daala's mother cautiously. "Are you alright?" He said soothingly.

Daala's mother craned her head towards him, eventually twisting her entire body around to face him. "Yes. I am. Thank you."

Gerren curtly nodded and was about to turn away when she said, "I wanted to thank you, for what you said, what you did. After her father died, I...I..." She sniffled, and then broke down into tears.

"I grew up without a mother, it sounds like Daala went most of her life without a father."

She somberly nodded her head, "He died when she was only eight. It had such an impact on her, especially her feelings towards synthetics. She hated them ever since I told her that her father wouldn't be coming home, ever. And now, her hate got her killed..." She broke down into a sob, "No parent should outlive their offspring!"

Gerren, touched by the words of the Quarian mother, embraced her, "Daala was strong, stronger than I ever was. I know that she would've liked to go down that way, killing Geth; it was her favorite pastime after all. Keelah, I wish she was still with us."

"Not as much as I wish for her to be back." She said grimly as she pushed away from Gerren, and joined the crowd leaving the funeral, carrying only one thing, Daala's ashes.

* * *

**Tali'Zorah**

Tali cocked her shotgun as another Husk, the kind which she remembered so fondly from her time fighting Saren, blindly charged her, attempting to take her down with brute strength and numbers rather than stealth. By the time it was five meters away it was nothing more than red dust and an unmoving body. Killing Husks, however, was the last thing on her mind as she continued to glance over at Shepard. Shepard was completely calm as he systematically barked out orders and commands, acting in a very professional manner, as if what had happened in the Med-bay had never occurred.

'_Keelah, I've wanted him for so long...' _Now that she had him, the only thing she could think about was; what if their budding relationship went wrong? She shook her head, '_Is something wrong with me?'_ What Kal'Reegar said had struck her, she realized that she'd never be able to give herself up to Shepard, to feel his skin against hers. That scared her a little. She had heard rumors that Human men always wanted intimate attachment, and she'd never be able to give that to him, especially without a clean room, unless she went into drastic measures.

'_I won't be able to satisfy him... Keelah, he's been through so much... He deserves someone who can make him happy...'_ Tali's somber thoughts were drowned out as a sudden blue shockwave knocked her off her feet. "Ouhf!" She grunted as she landed flat on her back.

"Tali! Get your head in the game!" Shepard roared, "There's a Scion right in front of you!" She winced, Shepard had noticed her absentminded attitude.

"Sorry!" She called back. After pushing herself off the ground, she sprinted for the nearest cover and slid behind it. She felt a heavy force hit the metal cover. She gritted her teeth as the biotic wave rushed past her.

Then, just as soon as the confrontation began, it was over. Shepard killed it. The Scion, having been shot to pieces, produced a short shrill screech as it impacted the floor of the derelict Reaper with a tremendous crash.

"Come on," Shepard, unfazed by the battle, waved her and Garrus onwards, "The drive core should be near here. We'll disable it, then get the blazes out of here." They had already found the Reaper IFF, but they were going to make sure that the Reaper never indoctrinated anyone ever again, by destroying it.

They approached a large space in the very interior of the ship. Tali could tell from the resonant humming that was originating from it, that the engine core was located somewhere inside. The humming got progressively louder as they approached. Tali couldn't help but feel that this ship stunk of malice and evil. '_The sooner we're out of here the better.'_

They entered a dark, spacious, engine room, with only one light source, the core, the very heart of the ship. It radiated blue-white light which painted the entire area in a dull light. None of this surprised her. But, she stepped back in terror as she saw something that truly startled her. Standing right at the console to the core, a Geth with a sniper rifle strapped to its back. Her surprise was fleeting as her Carnifex instinctively snapped up to her eye until it was aimed at its gray head.

The Geth turned, her finger began to apply pressure to the trigger. She was right about to shoot it, but two words stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Shepard-Commander." The Geth's synthetic voice, perfectly in tune with only a minor backtonal quality, stated. No, it wasn't what it said which stopped her from shooting, she realized, but that it was speaking at all. _'It's only one Geth, it shouldn't have the intelligence to mount intelligible speech!_' But even so, here it was, directly in front of her, disproving her theory.

Before anyone had a chance to react, a husk had shorted out the Geth and the rest were swarming the three of them. Tali pulled out her shotgun, deciding that such a close range weapon would work best in this instance.

Garrus glanced over to her shotgun, "You know," Garrus mused, "It's times like these when I 'really' wish I had one of those."

"You were always the long range type, Garrus; always preferring to keep things at a distance." Tali smiled briefly as she gripped her shotgun tightly.

Shepard pulled out his shotgun as well, "Which is why, Garrus, you're going to be shooting the drive core. We'll take care of the husks."

"You guys do all the fun stuff, while I sit around and shoot an unmoving target? Just like old times." Garrus brought his Vindicator up to his eye and wasted no time in hammering the glowing blue sphere.

Tali began to blast down enemy after enemy with her shotgun, each jolt bringing about some satisfaction to her. But, after three minutes of continuous shooting and reloading, her arms felt like lead pipes, each kickback was getting harder and harder to control. Her body screamed for rest, and her arms writhed in agony at the prospect of having to go through the ordeal over and over again.

As she reached for her third to last thermal clip, she missed the port where she needed to insert the thermal clip due to muscle fatigue. She stumbled in confusion as she glanced down for less than a second to correct her mistake. That was all it took.

Two husks sprinted forward, taking advantage of her brief lapse in concentration. By the time she looked back up they were already on top of her, swinging their arms wildly, attempting to inflict some damage.

Tali leveled her shotgun, but when she swung it around to the Husk, they was too close, the muzzle hit its side. Having no choice, Tali let go of the shotgun with her right hand and snapped out the Carnifex. The first bullet went right into the closest one's skull. The second Husk she hit in the shoulder, forcing the Husk to stumble backwards. Then, one-handedly, she leveled her shotgun at it and fired. Probably not the smartest idea, as the kickback was too strong for one hand to handle, but it got the job done.

After Tali killed the last Husk, the entire platform was clear, only bodies remained. Garrus fired one last burst into the Core, destabilizing it completely. Now there was only one problem which needed to be sorted out. The Geth.

Tali and Shepard cautiously approached the deactivated Geth. Tali reaffirmed her statement on which she thought the Geth was a pure gray color, instead there was a remarkable piece of N7 Armor on its shoulder. 'It almost looks like Shepar...' She examined it thoroughly again, 'No, it IS Shepard's armor.' This Geth was a puzzle, a puzzle which needed to be solved.

"Shepard, we need to bring this Geth with us, it didn't attack us, and it's just... Different."

Shepard curtly nodded and he heaved the Geth over his shoulder with not even a single word of argument; he must've figured it out too, that this Geth was strange, unorthodox, as well as a mystery as to how it had gotten a hold of Shepard's N7 armor. The ship began to rock and moan from the pressure and temperature of the brown star, which, because the core was destroyed, the thing that protected it for 37 million years, it was experiencing for the first time.

"We need to get out of here!" Garrus yelled in a panicky tone.

"Joker!" Shepard opened his comm to the Normandy, "Joker, we destroyed the core, heading your way!"

"Aye, aye, Commander. Just don't take too many pictures on the way over here!"

Shaking his head, he began sprinting to where they had left the Normandy, the Geth's weight did not slow him down one bit. Tali and Garrus chased after him in full pursuit.

Before long, they caught sight of the Normandy, hovering a good five meters away from the Reaper, with it's airlock open and one female crew member in Cerberus fatigues, holding an Avenger, was guarding it. Tali sprinted even faster than what she thought possible. She passed Garrus. She passed Shepard, looking impressed.

She jumped.

She closed her eyes. Her feet lifted off the ground and her stomach produced a sinking feeling as gravity took hold of her figure. Why she had jumped, she had no idea; it was extremely reckless and she would've condoned the action immediately had she been thinking, and yet, she still did it. She felt the wind rushing by her, strong enough to feel under her suit. Reckless or not, she enjoyed it immensely.

The next thing she felt was her feet digging into the metal surface of the Normandy. She knelt to better absorb the impact. She opened her eyes. After kneeling, she spared a glance over her shoulder. Shepard had reached the edge of the platform, wind rustling through his brown hair which flowed freely, looking both astonished and startled. Garrus had the same expression on his face.

She pushed herself off the ground, and looked to the Cerberus crew member, her mouth was agape in surprise. Tali indicated with her thumb back to Shepard, standing on the platform, "Tell Joker to get closer, there's no way they'll make that jump."

The crew member finally got a grip on herself and went to inform Joker. After two minutes Garrus and Shepard, the Geth still being carried over his shoulders, boarded the Normandy. The airlock closed behind them and they took off for the blackness of space. The Reaper began its slow descent to the brown star's surface, never to be seen again.

* * *

_Ushezl'faaz - Prayer of the Lost._

* * *

**Alright, just want to tell you a little about the two projects I mentioned at the very beginning:**

**1. The Ancestors: It is a Quarian Epic passed down generation after generation. It occurs between 3,000 BCE and 2950 BCE. Learn how one small boy grew up to change the Quarian race, forever. It is about love, loss, betrayal, unity, and, most importantly, The Ancestors.**

**-This is most likely going to become a long story. It is an epic after all!**

**2. Open Letter to John Shepard: A young man sends Shepard a message in 2193, eight years after the Reaper Wars, requesting for some advice on Quarians. Strictly romance.**

**- This will probably be 2-3 chapters. I did include a lot of poetry into this, and I hope that, if you decide to read it, that you enjoy it!**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Friend or Foe?

Chapter 12: Friend or Foe?

Kal'Reegar was feeling much better physically as he stretched his limbs and grunted contentedly from his muscles' unwinding. He had granted some much needed time to rest to his weary body. (Along with another dose of antibiotics.) He was considerably calm as he leaned patiently up against one of the numerous interior walls of the Normandy, specifically the one by the Airlock door. However, he was still anxious to see Tali's expected return and constantly gazed over to the portal of her departure. He mentally berated himself, '_I shouldn't have let her go so easily..._' His head snapped towards the noise of the airlock doors opening. He exhaled a sigh of relief as Tali waltzed through the entrance, seemingly unscathed.

"Tali," He began as he pushed himself off the wall. "Glad to see you back in one piec..." His relief was cut short when Shepard entered with a resounding object flung over his shoulder. The object in question was a grey synthetic situated haphazardly ontop of his shoulder, the thing which he had been trained to kill for so many years. Kal felt his blood begin to boil, purely at the sight of Daala's killer. Kal gasped and, before he realized what he was doing, his Predator was suddenly unholstered and pointed at Shepard, the barrel trembling ever so slightly. "What, in the name of the Ancestors, are you doing with that?!" He motioned the gun to the Geth draped over Shepard's shoulder.

Shepard stared down the M-9's menacing barrel and glanced up at Reegar, a bewildered expression masked his face. "And just what are _you_ planning to do, with that?" He asked, indicating towards the gun.

"Don't you understand? You're going to endanger the entire ship by bringing that aboard! The Geth are our enemies!" Kal exlaimed, not precisely answering Shepard's query. Kal'Reegar eyes were firmly planted on the Geth, his stare unwavering with resent towards the machine.

"No, Kal." Shepard voice was as cold as ice and as hard as the titanium which held the Normandy together, "The Geth are your enemy, it didn't attack us while we were on the Reaper, neither did it display signs of hostility, and it's still inactive. Besides," Shepard said as he glanced at Tali through the corners of his eyes. "Tali was the one who suggested we bring it."

Tali, by this time, had creeped up on Reegar from behind. She swiftly snatched the gun from his hand. Kal didn't even resist as she made a grab for his weapon and he readily let it go. He lowered his arm to rest at his side, hands grasping nothing but air. "Tali, after what happened to your father I would've thought that you'd be the most opposed to bringing a Geth aboard." He did not mean it, but it came across as an accusation; a verbal slap to the face.

'_I probably shouldn't have said that._' Kal'Reegar winced as he watched Tali cringe, reminiscing as to how she held her father as he died in her arms, and the cause of it all; The Geth.

"This thing could have useful information," Tali said as she motioned her head towards the Geth, "We can't pass up an opportunity like this." Although, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself as to why she had hastily decided to bring it along.

"And just how do you propose we extract this information?" Kal crossed his arms across his chest. He secretly hoped that it would be with 'aggressive negotiations' with a shotgun to its dull gray head.

"By talking to it." Tali stated with a shrug.

"Am I hearing correctly? You're planning on activating it? What if the Geth suddenly decides that it doesn't want to be so friendly anymore?"

Shepard had the answer, "Kal, if it reassures you, then you can act as a sentry over it while I activate it."

Kal released a long, drawn out sigh, "I ain't too happy with this, Shepard. But, if it helps, then I'll keep watch." He responded, acquiescing with Shepard's suggested.

Shepard nodded, "Meet me down in the AI Bay on the crew deck at..." Shepard glanced down at his Omni-tool's clock; 13:10 EST, "13:25 Earth Standard Time. 15 minutes..."

* * *

**Kal'Reegar, AI Bay, 13:25 EST.**

Kal'Reegar rested the back of the helmet against the wall inside the Medical bay, waiting near the entrance for Shepard to exit. 'He's been in there a while...'

As if on a whim, the doors to the AI bay opened, Shepard looked around the corner, and motioned for Kal'Reegar to follow him in, before quickly retreating inside.

Kal unholstered his M-9 Predator, which Tali had given back to him after he had sufficiently calmed down, checked the thermal clip, and made sure to keep it pointed at the ground, a misfire would not be good.

He walked inside, the grey Geth was lying at the very end of the AI bay. Kal approached it cautiously.

"EDI, is the containment shield activated?" Shepard asked the ship's AI.

Kal did not particularly like the ship's AI, at best, he tried to avoid talking to it, but that was hard since EDI could contact him anywhere on the ship. It, quite literally, was the ship.

"Affirmative, Commander. I have also isolated our systems and have erected additional firewalls. I am prepared to resist any form of hacking. " EDI responded.

With a quick glance backwards at Kal, "I'm turning this thing back on. Be ready." Kal nodded and leveled the gun at the Geth. Shepard meticulously tapped a few key on his Omni-tool which prompted blue sparks to fly all across the Geth.

Kal'Reegar, at first, thought it didn't have any sort of effect. Then, one of its three fingers twitched.

The Geth sparked to life slowly, its flashlight head gaining luminance as the matrix of white photo-receptors reactivated. It sat up and curled up briefly, making several mechanical whirring and chirping noises, afterwards it turned towards Shepard, now soft light was pouring out of its 'eye'. Kal centered the reticule of the pistol on the Geth's head, he wasn't going to take any chances with this thing escaping, or attacking Shepard.

It lifted itself out of its resting spot and walked forward until it was face to face with Shepard, remaining barely inside the containment shield. It glanced briefly between Shepard and the Quarian, but remained in stoic silence.

Kal couldn't help but admire the Geth; it was beautiful, fluid, strong, everything it was designed to be at the epoch of Quarian power with machinery. He realized that he had never noticed the expertise and meticulous effort that went into making this synthetic. He had always been too busy trying not to get shot by them, or trying to shoot them to realize.

"Can you understand me?" Shepard asked precariously.

"Yes." The Geth confirmed as it fixated its optic on Shepard.

"Are you going to attack us?"

"No."

"You said my name aboard the Reaper. Have we met?"

"We know of you." The Geth replied blandly, its voice remaining in a standard monotone fashion.

"You mean that I've fought alot of Geth?"

"We have never met."

Kal'Reegar took a bold step forward, "Oh, yea? Have you ever met me?" He growled, jabbing his thumb at his own chest.

"We have never met." The Geth reiterated, examining him curiously, trying to determine the cause of the hostility that it detected in Kal's voice, other than the fact that he was a Creator.

Kal'Reegar bold move began to falter. He was shocked, the Geth really did sound like it did not know of him, "What do you mean we've never met? I've fought plenty of Geth, other than yourself. I can tell you three encounters off the top of my head: The Perseus Veil, Haestrom..." Kal began to pace back and forth behind Shepard, lowering his gun in the process, his eyes never leaving the Geth.

The Geth mimicked Kal's action, its eye didn't trail off of Kal. "We are all Geth, and we have not met you." A brief pause ensued, Kal'Reegar assumed that was its answer, until it spoke again. "You are Creator Reegar. Major. Migrant Fleet Marine. Quarian. Exiled. Fought heretics."

Before Kal had time to interrogate the Geth further as to how it knew that information, it turned to Shepard, "And you are Shepard. Commander. Alliance. Human. Fought heretics as well. Killed by Collectors. Rediscoverer of the Old Machines. We all know of Shepard-Commander and those he travels with."

"I'm assuming that by Old Machines, you are referring to the Reapers?" Shepard inquired.

"Correct."

"Hold on a second." Kal said as he finally got a word in, "What do you mean we've fought "Heretics?"

"The Geth build our future. The heretics asked the Old Machines to give them the future. They are no longer part of us." The Geth stated didactically, its monotone voice droning in Kal's mind. "They are stationed in the Perseus Veil."

Kal took a step backwards. This news hit him. Hard. '_My entire life, my entire purpose as a marine, is fighting a different sect of the Geth? Ones that have nothing to do with the Geth on Rannoch?_' Kal did not particularly care if the Geth lived elsewhere, like the Perseus Veil, but as long as they were stationed on Rannoch, his true home, he'd fight them till his dying breath. The next thing which struck him was, '_The Geth have infighting? The Admiralty Board, especially Admiral Xen would be very interested in that information..._'

Shepard cleared his throat, taking a step forward until his face was mere inches from the shield which separated him and the Geth, and interrupting Kal's musings in the meantime, "So, I'm guessing you aren't allied with the Reapers?"

"We oppose the heretics. We oppose the Old Machines." It took a step forward too, mimicking Shepard's movements exactly. It was roughly the same size as Shepard, maybe an inch taller if Kal had to guess. "Shepard-Commander opposes the heretics. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machine. Cooperation furthers mutual goals."

Kal narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the Geth, "So, you're asking to join the Normandy's crew? You're fine with killing your own?"

"Yes. We oppose the heretics."

Kal'Reegar relaxed the built up tension in his shoulders, "Well, if you're a Geth killing another Geth, that makes you okay in my book. For now." Kal said, adding in a veiled threat, '_As long as it does not disturb me, we'll do just fine..._'

Shepard put down the shield separating the Geth and the rest of the ship, a move requiring serious trust on his part. The Geth, both to Kal'Reegar's dismay and relief, it did not attack Shepard or Kal, it acted as if the shield had never been there.

"Hm..." Shepard scratched the stubble forming on his chin, "What should we call you?"

"Geth."

"I mean your name. Specifically." The Human Spectre persisted.

"We are all Geth."

"What is the individual in front of me called?" Shepard repeated, crossing his arms across his chest impatiently.

"There is no individual. We are Geth."

Kal'Reegar rolled his eyes, and shook his head at the human's ignorance, '_Sometimes humans can be so dull,_' he thought to himself, "Shepard, Geth don't have names. Here," He corrected, turning from Shepard to the Geth, "What's your identification number?"

"Platform 75-62-11-1183A." The Geth stated, spewing a string of meaningless numbers. (At least to Kal and Shepard.)

Shepard continued to urge forth the subject of names, "Isn't there something shorter we can call you?"

EDI intervened, her blue orb-like shape appearing before the three of them. "My name is Legion, for we are many." To Kal'Reegar, this was absolute gibberish, it sounded as if it was quoting something important, but he had no idea what it could be quoting.

Thankfully, the Geth soon recificed Kal's confusion, "Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the Geth. We look forward to integrating with the Normandy."

Shepard held out his hand to Legion, who examined his hand before deciding the best course of action. It slowly lifted its arm and grasped Shepard's hand with its own. And, for the first time in two hundred and eighty-seven years, a peaceful exchange was made between a Geth and an Organic. This was such a monumental achievement, one would not think that a hot-headed Human would be capable of cooperating with a Geth. '_Obviously, they're a lot more open minded than I thought.'_ Kal'Reegar mused.

"Reegar," Shepard said as he turned his back to the Geth. "I'm going to get something to eat, I'm starving. Care to join me?" He said while exiting the AI bay.

Kal'Reegar nodded his assent and followed Shepard out...

* * *

**Kal'Reegar, Mess Hall, 13:41 EST.**

"...And, so, I swore that we were about to die." Garrus said as he leaned forward on the table, mandibles lifted in a grin, "Not from the Geth Colossus directly in front of us, but from Shepard's driving skills! Spirits, I have _NEVER_ seen anyone drive _SO_ atrocious with a Mako!"

Shepard pointed at Garrus with a slight smile spread across his face. "Oh yea? Next time,_ I'LL_ shoot and _YOU_ can drive us straight into enemy fire, Vakarian!" Kal'Reegar laughed heartily as he listened to one of Garrus and Shepard's many shared war stories. Shepard, Garrus, Zaeed, and Kal were all situated around a table in the lively environment of the mess hall. Hot food was placed in front of everyone but Kal'Reegar. He glanced enviously at Zaeed's steak, cooked rare, and Shepard's steaming baked potato, some sort of human vegetable, he had learned when he questioned Shepard as to what it was. The potato reminded him somewhat of the Byaul plant.

"That's nothin' compared to being held at gunpoint and getting shot in the head!" Zaeed gloated. The human was an interesting specimen, as Kal'Reegar examined his scar which vertically cut across his eye and battle-worn face. Both Garrus and Shepard rolled their eyes.

Kal couldn't refrain himself from asking, "You survived a gunshot to the head?" Even though Garrus and Shepard were silently trying to ward him off from asking.

"'Course I did!" Zaeed responded with belligerence, slamming his fist into the table for emphasis. "Else I wouldn't guddamn be here, now would I?"

After a moment of silence, Shepard turned to Kal, "So what about you? Any good ones?"

"Well," He answered, scratching underneath his suit's chin. "There is one story,"

"Do share!" Garrus chirped in.

"So, I was on the Citadel for my Pilgrimage, working as a mechanic in order to put together some money to return back to the Fleet." Kal'Reegar said, "One day, after I was finished and weary from a long shift and a trip to the bank, I decided to take a shortcut through the Zakera Ward. Bad decision on my part." The grin on Shepard and Garrus's face abruptly ceased. "About halfway through, two Turians jumped me. One of then had a shotgun, how they got it through C-Sec, I have no idea. They held me at gunpoint and then knocked me out. I woke up in a nearby hospital, nothing of value remained on my person. I lost about half of the salary I had earned over two years..."

Kal sucked quietly on the nutrient paste tube connected to his suit's induction port as he listened for a response. There wasn't one; silence ensued, nobody was quite sure how to respond to that statement. Kal could see Shepard's jaw working up and down, but no words formed. Tali came by at the perfect time.

"Hello, everyone. What are you all talking about?" She asked as she stood next to Garrus.

"I don't suppose you remember the Mako?" Garrus inquired, his mandibles twitching into a grin.

"Oh, Keelah. That cramped metal death trap which Shepard thought he knew how to drive? How could I not remember it?" Tali giggled as she remembered Shepard struggling with the controls, oftentimes ramming into a wall, or a pillar. She had always secretly wondered why Shepard's skills at leadership did not correlate to his skills at driving, some weird human thing, she supposed.

"I thought that you'd be used to cramped spaces by now." Shepard said without thinking. Kal knew that this was supposed to be a harmless observation, but he couldn't help but wince at his ignorance.

"You never get used to it... Ever." Kal'Reegar said, prompting another awkward silence.

A long silence followed until Tali spoke up, "So, I wanted to know if I could steal Shepard away from you all..." She fidgeted slightly, she still had anxiety from being 'alone' with Shepard, even if he had already expressed his feelings for her, and vice-versa; not that anyone else knew, with the exception of Shepard.

"Only if you promise not to run off with him." Garrus said with mock severity.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Tali smiled sweetly back.

Shepard stood up and Tali led him away from the conclave of men and past the elevator. Eventually they stopped once they reached the Port side door. "What's up, Tali?"

Tali was using her good-natured attitude as a mask to conceal her true feelings, the brewing storm of questions festering at her mind. Her body language changed significantly as they rounded the corner and stopped.

"What's wrong, Tali?" Shepard reiterated.

She turned around abruptly, those festering questions coming to the surface like a spewing geyser. "Shepard, do you really love me?" She blurted outloud.

Shepard threw a precautionary glance around to see if anyone had hnobody's he crew and specialists had yet to learn about their budding relationship. "Yes, Tali. More than anything in the entire galaxy. What's with the urgency?"

"I'm sorry, Shepard," She said as she slid her right hand along with wall, tracing the words Normandy with her index finger. "I've been acting irrational lately, I've... I've been thinking about, ah, us."

"Us..."

"Well, you're going to think I'm a selfish bosh'tet for saying this-"

"Oh please, Tali. You've never been selfish. If anything, you don't spend enough time thinking about yourself." He said with a wide grin.

"That may be true for humans, but for Quarians... We have to think about the needs of others first, always." She had wanted him on the Normandy, she had wanted him on Freedom's progress, she had wanted him for so long... Was she really going to give him up? She was torn in two by that question. She finally managed the courage to speak up, "No matter how much I... I could get sick, jeopardize the mission." She gulped as she remembered her thoughts while on the Reaper, "You don't really want me. You deserve to be... Happy... I can't do that..." Tali said, shifting ever so slightly, and trying to choke back tears. She averted her eyes and began drawing a circle on the floor of the Normandy with her right foot.

Shepard didn't say anything for a long while, which only served to convince Tali that what she said was correct, no matter how much she had despised the idea of Shepard... Finding someone else.

Shepard had something else in mind, "Tali, I know you're scared," He said calmly, confortingly, as he placed both his hands on top of her left hand, prompting her to look him in the eyes. "But, you don't understand what you've given me. You _do_ make me happy. You've given me purpose, hope, beyond the mission. You've given me something to fight for, someone to love. You've given me strength, fortitude, through this hard time. You've given me so much..." Shepard said softly, eyes remained unblinking as they stared into her opaque visor.

"I... I have?" Tali stuttered, throwing her emotions into more turmoil about what she should do.

Shepard curtly nodded, his eyes not budging off of her for a mere second, his eyes flaring with intensity so strong, it was as if she were in the midst of a hurricane, with winds blasting all around her, and water spraying her face with its cold splash. "I don't want anyone else. I want you."

Tali was at a loss for words, "Shepard... I'm not sure what to say... You saved me from the Fist on the Citadel. You saved me on Freedom's Progress, otherwise my squad would've surely died. You saved me on Haestrom, you even jumped at the chance of retaking the Alarei, even though there was nothing in it for you... I just... I don't know."

"Tali, I do love you, I really do." He declared with an earnest expression.

With that declaration, Tali's feelings cleared a little for her to speak her mind about what she felt for Shepard. "Keelah, I love you, too." She said as she embraced him. "We can find a way... Love always finds a way..." Tali whispered passionately into his ear, sending sensual shivers down Shepard's spine.

"Find a way quickly, Miss vas Normandy, Captain's orders." He whispered back into her audio receptor.

A cough came from somewhere nearby. Instinctively, both Tali and Shepard turned their heads towards the source. It was Kasumi, leaning against the frame of the door, casually observing the two of them. "You two should probably take it to a more... Secluded area, anyone could overhear you in the hallway." She was smirking underneath her hood, her eyes were glancing between the two of them in a playful manner.

If Shepard was disturbed by this interruption, he didn't show it. "Good idea, Kasumi. Tali... Care to join me in Engineering?"

"Yes...yes, definitely." Tali said dreamily as Shepard took her by the arm and led her to the elevator. "Definitely..." She mumbled to herself...

* * *

**Well, unfortunately, I've signed up for a Writing competition for Full-Paragon, and need to write a fanfiction about Quarian First Contact. (Which I implore you to read when I'm finally finished.) This will resume in 2-3 weeks**.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Ralin'Shanar

**I hope that this chapter will clarify a lot about Ralin's personality. (Especially the seemingly forced RalinxGerren.) I realize she has been quite a "flat" character so far, so I'm introducing a few bumps. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Ralin'Shanar

**Gerren'Lakko, Qwib-Qwib,**

Gerren sighed with content as he descended down into the lower depths of the Qwib-Qwib by use of an elevator. He had been granted some time off from his work aboard the Tonbay, due to his efforts to persuade Admiral Raan.

He hadn't told her that she was aboard the Qwib-Qwib, he wanted it to be a surprise. He couldn't help himself from smirking, picturing what her expression would be like underneath her helmet.

Less than five minutes ago, he had talked with a supervisor over the current work cycle and the placement of a certain person; Ralin. He had told Gerren that she was working in Engineering and her shift was five minutes until completion.

He felt the elevator slow and lose momentum until it finally grated to a halt. The elevator procured a dinging noise and the gray, solid steel doors pushed open.

Gerren stepped out, his head surveying the dimly lit area with interest. It was much like the Tonbay's Engineering area, outdated, in constant need of repair, and dust covering every crevice.

"The perks of being a Quarian." He grumbled to himself. This section of engineering appeared to be relatively empty, not a single soul was in sight. Not surprising, given that this was technically the night shift.

"Anyone alive?" He called out, more as a pointed tease than a question. He listened as his voice rebounded off the walls, getting softer and softer. "Guess not." He murmured when no one responded.

He began to wander through the dimly lit halls towards the metallic grating of two synthetic voices which he could barely make out.

He went to investigate.

* * *

**Ralin'Shanar, Qwib-Qwib**

Ralin was sweating from exertion as she meticulously went over the power conduit, a wire running from stern to bow along with wall. While the bottom layers of the ship were kept at a colder temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, She couldn't tell due to her environmental suit. It wasn't incredibly hard work, but every substation needed to be checked over; a much more monotonous life than fighting the Geth with Kal or Gerren, but it was satisfying work, for her at least. If a single substation was left damaged, then power could be cut off to a portion or all of the ship; she wasn't going to let something like that happen on her Captain's ship.

Her hands fumbled over the substation, checking the superconductive wiring and ensuring that no holes or tears had formed. It didn't help that the area was only minimally lit, decreasing her effectiveness and the usage of sight.

Her friend didn't think that the work was as fulfilling as Ralin did. "Ralin, you've been at it for hours. You need to take a break. I've seen you check over every substation at least five times." Groaned Lae, sounding slightly worried for Ralin's health. She was a Quarian whom Ralin had grown accustomed to, and eventually befriended down in the belly of the ship. This came about because they shared the same shifts and worked in the same general area.

Ralin blinked away her drooping eyelids and slouching posture, looking visibly more alert. "I can take a break after these last two." She said, partially consenting to Lae's wishes.

This answer seemed to content Lae as she went back to working on the transformers and power converters that she was inspecting, murmuring softly to herself how, _The Admiral always has me down here. None of this is fair. If I were in charge..._

Ralin ignored Lae's inconsistent ramblings as her hands fumbled across one of the many wires. '_Substation's good, entrance and exit are good..._' Her eyes widened as her fingers roughly dragged against an irregularity on the back of the wire, the portion she couldn't see since it was running horizontally along the wall.

"Lae, I gotta problem here." She said, pointing to the section of the wire, and stepping backwards so Lae could properly move to see the hole.

Lae's head snapped towards her, "Let me see." She stopped what she was doing and walked over to Ralin. "That's odd." She said as she examined the wire. "It's a small hole, barely noticeable, but I'll fix it. Ah... It's just a part of the insulation was cut, nothing major."

Ralin nodded, then, for some reason, she shivered indiscernibly. 'I swear, it feels as if someone's watching...'

"Eek! Keelah!" She cried out as two invading hands materialized around her waist. She spun around to the figure behind her. It only took a moment to realize who it was. "Gerren!" Ralin cried in a brighter tone, panting from the scare and her exertion. "You really gave me a shock!" Her mind caught up to her and her panting abruptly stopped. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were still on the Tonbay."

"I was," Gerren responded, "I thought I'd surprise you by coming to see you." His lips curved upwards. "Which, by the looks of it, I'd say that I've succeeded." He looked past her at Lae, watching the two intently. "I don't think we've been properly introduced." He said to her. "I'm Gerren'Lakko vas Tonbay."

She inclined her helmet toward him, "Lae'Rana vas Qwib-Qwib. But, I already know who you are, Ralin told me all about you."

"Ah, did she?" Gerren asked, glancing over to Ralin.

"She did." She replied.

"Good things, I hope?"

"Very."

"Good," he nodded, finished with the small talk, "do you mind if she cuts out a little early?" Gerren inquired, canting his head towards Ralin.

"Of course she can, this is surely enough reason to do so."

"Well," Ralin said, turning to the thin wire dangling mere feet from her. "I still have to finish checking the last-"

"Which I will gladly do." Lae interrupted hastily, prompting a glare from Ralin.

"I should probably-" She looked back over to the substations.

"No, no, no." Lae said, "I insist." Her eyes were fixed on Ralin in a playful stare which said, 'If-you-waste-this-opportunity-I'll-kill-you'.

Ralin shot another back, equally friendly and jocular in nature. 'I'd-like-to-see-you-try.'

Gerren unintentionally diffused the situation by leading Ralin away, arm slung around her back and shoulders, heading towards the lift.

"See ya!" Lae shouted after them before turning back to her work.

Gerren acknowledged the call and responded with a nod of his head. He turned back to Ralin, "Well, where to?" He asked. "This is my first time here you know."

Ralin blinked a few times. "Oh, um, right. Most of the ship is similar to the Tonbay engines, bridge, all that stuff." She continued softly, "I suppose we could go up to my cabin..."

Gerren smiled, turning as they entered the lift. "Sounds wonderful."

Ralin pressed the button to the fifth floor...

* * *

**Gerren+Ralin, Ralin's room, Qwib-Qwib**

'_Ralin's room is pretty standard.'_ He observed, gazing around the small space. The walls were a nondescript gray without any blotches of color or any holo-pictures. The only thing which had any sort of color whatsoever was the viewscreen which showed space drifting besides the ship, as well as the furious twinkling of millions of stars like a small fireworks display. Gerren furrowed his brow. '_She doesn't have a single picture of her family? Strange... very strange.'_ A Quarian's love for the Ancestors also attributed to the gratefulness of their parents, it was in respect of the Elders. Gerren questioned why, or what had happened in the past to cause this to happen.

Gerren walked over to her desk, directly besides her bed. Ralin plopped herself down onto the bed and Gerren rested his hands on the desk. Leaning on the desk, "Kinda bland, huh?"

Shifting ever so slightly, "I guess so."

Gerren's eyes swept over the desk, "You don't have _any_ pictures of your family? None at all?" Then, with mock severity, "did you even have a family?"

"Of course I had a family! It's just that... I haven't seen them in a long time. A very long time." Eyes fixating on the ground, she gave a long, weary sigh.

"Why?" He asked, cocking his head to her. Dozens of theories ran through his mind as to the cause.

"Gerren," she sniffled, "you wouldn't understand. You aren't like me." Her words were full of sorrow and grief.

Gerren moved to the bed, sitting down, eyes never leaving her. He hovered a hand over hers, rubbing it gingerly. With the back of his other hand, he stroked her metal cheek. She gradually looked up, half turning towards him. Satisfied by this response, he tenderly said two words. "Try me."

"No!" Ralin bit back with distraught, blue power emanating from her with a fury. "You can't know. You aren't a biotic. I..." Just as sudden as the fire came, it was extinguished. She slouched down and began to sob softly.

Gerren rode through the waves of anger while in shock. 'That is the first time I've ever seen her the slightest bit angry. Keelah... What happened?'

"Ralin, I'm here for you." He said, arm wrapped protectively around her. "So try me."

Returning to her upright state, her sobs stopped gradually. "Fine," she said tearfully, "I haven't seen my parents in sixteen years. Since I was only seven."

"Keelah!" Gerren howled with dismay. "Why?!"

"I left them. I was taken from them by force. Their little girl, only seven years old." she sighed. "The newly anointed Admiral Zaal'Koris was the cause, the youngest Admiral in the fleet's history."

"Ralin, what Zaal did to you is inexcusable. How can you have so much respect for him if he took you away from your loved ones when you were just a kid?"

Ralin turned her head until she was half facing him. "Because, if he didn't do it, then another Admiral would have, and they might not have supported me as much as Zaal."

"Do what? If he didn't do what, exactly?"

"He placed me in a school for biotics on Thessia for sixteen years. I trained, and learned, and grew in biotic potential, in order to give back to the fleet." She shifted until she was fully facing him. "Gerren, do you know how rare a Quarian biotic is?"

"Extremely rare, but -"

"There are less than seventy-five in the entire fleet." She interjected in a matter of fact tone. "There aren't enough of us to form a school, so we had to use Asari schools." She said with contempt for reasons unbeknownst to Gerren. "I suffered racism, even from the teachers. I had next to zero friends. There weren't any other Quarians in my class besides me." She shook, on the verge of breaking down into tears. "Do you know," salty water dripping out of the corner of her eye, "do you know what it feels like to be truly alone? To have nobody. No family. No friends. No life, except to live for the fleet."

"I was alone once on the Hraxa, you know, when all my squad died?" He reminded her. "But, Keelah, _sixteen_ years of feeling that exact same emotion of grief and loneliness? I don't think I could've lasted."

"I almost didn't." Ralin shot back fiercely, somehow managing to sit on the edge between bursting out into tears, remaining distraught, and angry. "Zaal was the only Quarian whom I ever saw; he encouraged me, protected me, doted on me like a daughter, or a younger sister. I'm alive because of him." After a short while of thinking, "Well, there was someone else as well." She said rather sheepishly, her violent tone retreating. "Nehya."

"Another Quarian? I thought that you -" Gerren asked with a puzzled expression as to who this newcomer could be.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "she was an Asari. We were..." she hesitated briefly, but long enough for Gerren to notice. "Close."

"Close?" Gerren raised his brow. "How close?"

"Very, very close." She said, blushing a dark gray. Avoiding eye contact, she diverted her gaze away from him, examining the desk thoroughly. "Her name was Nehya. She was in my class, and she was very curious. She wanted to learn more about alien cultures, and she was full of whimsical notions. Because I was the only alien in the class, most of her attention was directed at me. She asked me all sorts of questions about us, our culture, our government, what it was like inside these suits. She was friendly, and she didn't treat me differently than any other Asari. So, I thought of her as different, unique in a way indescribable to me." Ralin paused. "Then, she got too curious... I realized what she had begun to want. Me, the only alien. She wanted to get inside _my_ suit, explore her desires, and get to know me. Sexually, I mean."

"So... Did she get to know you in that way?" He asked awkwardly. What was running through his mind was along the lines of, '_Ralin is bisexual?_'

"Kind of. Gerren, you have to understand. I was all alone, and Nehya could offer some respite from that. She... she said that she loved me. We were together for a few months; I was twenty-two at the time." She faltered off into silence.

Gerren chuckled a hearty laugh. "I never would have thought that you'd be the type to date an Asari! What happened between the two of you?" A cocky grin marking his face, his eyes teasing her with enthusiasm.

She felt her face burning with intensity, embarrassed to reveal her ex-_Inszel_ to her_ Inszel_. Ralin then felt something else, guilt. Guilt for what she had done. Guilt for the thing that had gotten her kicked out of the school. Guilt which would travel with her for the rest of her days. She felt her throat constricting and tears damming up in her. "She died." She choked out, slouching down even farther, knowing exactly how it happened.

Gerren's cocky smile dropped faster than a Krogan on a high-gravity world. "Keelah, I didn't think... I mean I thought that she'd have found someone else." Gerren said, leaning down and draping an arm over her. "What happened?"

"It was just an accident. I... I didn't mean to!" Her responses was becoming increasingly frenzied and panicked.

"Didn't mean to do what?" He pressed onward, unveiling layer after layer of her core.

"I... I killed her during training." She managed to spit out through rivers of tears. Sobbing, she curling herself into a ball, arms hugging her knees against her chest, a grip tougher than the strongest titanium.

Gerren stared at her in shock. Mouth opening and closing, he was unsure what to say. He decided it was best not to say anything at all; he waited, arm still comforting her, squeezing her tightly against his body until the sobbing subsided.

Still sniffling, she said, "We were practicing using both our weapons of choice and our biotics. The rounds for the guns were only supposed to stun on impact. But, mine didn't. I was using a shotgun, which as I found out still had live rounds. Nehya was the first one I saw..." She couldn't go on. She just couldn't. She could remember it so clearly. It was a scar etched in the farthest corners of her brain, refusing to heal. She watched the events unfold for the thousandth time, the crack of the her shotgun, the short, high-pitched female scream, and a body hitting the floor, purple-blue blood staining the ground and running freely along its surface.

She sighed, knowing very well what happened next and managing to find the strength to continue. "I was kicked out, obviously. Because, they were looking for any excuse to do so. I mean who would want a Quarian at such a _prestigious_ and _diligent_ school." Contempt for the Asari was growing in her voice. "This provided the perfect opportunity to do just that. I'm probably lucky that I was executed. Thankfully, Zaal vindicated me of those charges. Afterwards, I was sent back to the fleet and immediately assigned to a squad. That's when I met you."

"Well," smiling sadly to himself and looking down at the floor, Gerren said, "at least one good thing came out of it."

"What good could come out of that?!" She said with incredulity at the very thought of her Asari lover dying.

"Us."

Ralin's head snapped to Gerren. She found herself staring into his eyes. "You bosh'tet!" She exclaimed, for the first time she was smiling, even if it was only marginally. "You took that from me!"

His eyes stared back with intensity. "And, it can be applied in this situation too!"

"I suppose that's true. If I were not kicked out, then I never would've met you." She conceded.

"If I hadn't lost my squad, I'd still be on the _Hxara_." Gerren said. "It's almost been three months since you rejoined the fleet. Have you tried to contact your parents since you returned?"

"No," she turned away, "what could I possibly say to them? What would they think of their twenty-three year old daughter, all grown up after sixteen years of training? Would they even recognize me, or love me?"

"They're your parents! Of course they'll still love you! They'd probably be extremely happy to hear from you."

She sighed, resting her head on her hand. "You're probably right," she continued, "although, I'll still have to find them; they probably moved on since I was taken." Her dismally attitude had not yet been dispelled.

"Hey," he said, trying to be uplifting, "you'll find them. We'll find them. Trust me."

"That's the thing, I do trust you, Ger. Thanks... For listening." She looked out the only viewscreen of the outside world, with the dark abyss staring right back at her.

Gerren tenderly canted his head towards Ralin, which Ralin gladly met; their heads pressed up against on another as they stared into space together, ready to brave whatever challenge that the universe was likely to throw at them, together.

* * *

**My knowledge of Engineering and ships is kind of embarrassing. :P**


End file.
